Always a Sin
by CrimsonNi
Summary: Many can account on what happened the day of Oct 10th, the day the Leaf Village was attacked and destroyed by the 9-tail fox, the Kyuubi. But what no one can attest to, on that day, is how that beast and his container managed to vanish into thin air without leaving a single trace behind? SasuNaruSasu and a little bit of NaruKono (surprisingly haha)
1. Hot and Dangerous

Hola Folks!

So…I've been thinking about priests for some reason [lmao] and of course, my mind travelled to some dark, dark place xD. Such will be explained later on! Anyway, my iTunes is on shuffle and the first song I get is Butch Walker- Coming Home; IF you haven't heard this delicious song, for the love of squeezable plushies, go and listen to it! Alrighty, I hope you aren't offended by my material, please enjoy. Rated M because my actual name is Marlene so that means this shit is bad for the kiddies.

No such characters in the Naruto universe belong to me.

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

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The sun, normally a kind friend to the Leaf ninja, gave no mercy as it massaged sweltering heat down the spines of all four ninja trying to trudge their way down the path. One of the travelers, a young boy with unkempt brown hair, now dampened to a near-black shade, panted in heavy breaths for every foot he placed in front of the other. Should this heat feel so violating? Konoha had never experienced such an intense heat wave before. Without realizing it, the boy slightly bumped into one of his teammates, another brown-haired adolescent, Udon. A long string of snot trailed down from his nose, barely touching the corner of his mouth.

"Argh, clean your face, Udon."

"Eh? What's wrong, Konohamaru?"

The heat made him irritable. He was a jokester, a playful, tolerable kid who accepted many regardless of their flaws. But today, right at this moment, no, he wasn't feeling it. "Your face is covered in shit," Konohamaru growled.

Udon could hear the grittiness in his teammate's voice and thought it best to just remain quiet. They had walked a long way with barely any food or time to sleep. Ebisu-Sensei, their team leader, said that it was better to get back home sooner than later so the team had no choice but to use their remaining energy to travel. Now, they were stuck under the sun's glares, hoping that any merciful being could lend them a hand and grace them with shade and perhaps, if they weren't being too greedy in asking, some food and water. Konohamaru was too focused on the sweat racing down the curves of his back to see that Udon stopped in front of him.

"What the hell?!"

"Look at that," Udon said as he pointed ahead. "Doesn't that look like a tea house?"

Moegi, the female of the team, gasped and clapped in glee. "Yes it does! Sensei, let's go!"

In any other circumstance, their sensei would have been beyond ready to decline; a rule of being a ninja is that not everything appears as it seems, but he too was dazed from the heat. He barely managed a nod when his three students cheered and ran with new found energy towards the tea house. As much as he would have enjoyed taking his time, Ebisu couldn't help but also run towards that tea house in the hopes that there was something there that could hold them over until they reached the village.

Konohamaru didn't hesitate in throwing himself through the opening of the tea house, but what he discovered soured his mood immediately. The tea house was completely empty. Not a soul in sight to be seen or heard, only empty chairs and benches. When Udon and Moegi joined him, they too allowed their features to fall in disappointment. Slowly, they stepped within the territory, listening to every creak the wood beneath their feet made, quietly observing for any moment that didn't match their shadows. After the coast had felt clear, both Udon and Konohamaru looked behind the bar to find any tea, water, or food. By some miracle, there was plenty of tea leaves.

With the help of Ebisu, Moegi made enough tea to go around and the four sat in a tranquil silence. "Neh Sensei, can't we rest here for the night? I can't go back out there, I'll die."

Again, if this were any other circumstance, Ebisu would have lectured Konohamaru for even thinking of suggesting that they rest so out in the open, where any and all enemies can easily ambushed them. But, there was no need to chastise him; Konohamaru was right, the heat was going to kill him and the rest of them if they went back outside to travel. With reluctance, he agreed that this was the safest choice between the two. Luckily, they were all prepared due to their extended mission in Iwagakure. It wasn't anything fancy and if anything, the three young shinobi were bored out of their mind with the constant 'smart' talk that surrounded them. Regardless, they were going to be paid a healthy B-rank mission type of check. When the evening finally revealed through the window of the tea house, the four ninja grabbed their gear and spread their sleeping bag throughout the floor. Konohamaru couldn't wait to finally shut his eyes and fall victim to slumber; this experience would remind him that it would be the very last time he would simply agree when Ebisu-Sensei suggested something, especially if it required lack of sleep.

The tea house was peacefully quiet, as it was before it became occupied. Moegi slept with her hair no longer tied up in that odd fashion that Konohamaru couldn't help but find…interesting at times—depending on the angle. Udon, with snot still running down his face, was quietly snoring away with his hands cuddled underneath his chest, as if he were protecting himself. Ebisu slept like any experienced ninja would—laying strictly on his back facing up with his sunglasses on, barely moving his chest as if he were playing dead. Konohamaru made note of all of these peculiar yet amusing characteristics of his fellow comrades and sensei. However, why wasn't he asleep like he wanted be? '_I heard something._' Konohamaru thought.

Quietly, Konohamaru tip-toed his way out of the occupied room and scanned his immediate surroundings for any trouble. A heavenly breeze gently passed by, provoking the trees to make a noisy commotion but soon enough, it settled down until silence followed once again. He stood there for several minutes, waiting for the faintest of noises to give way, but none came. Perhaps he was just being paranoid? Honestly, they were surrounded by trees and other naturalistic effects, what did he expect? With a content sigh, Konohamaru went to tip-toe back into his bed but upon turning around, he met with resistance. Before he could even shout or get a good look at the enemy, something warm clamped over his mouth and eyes. A cold dreadful feeling crawled up his spine; dear god, was this assailant going to kill his team?! A scream desperately wanted to rip its way through his throat, he had to struggle and fight back!

"Ssh, ssh, calm down," a deep voice said. The stranger slowly peeled whatever item he had drapped over his eyes off until Konohamaru could see again. The night camouflaged the stranger's height and exact looks, but Konohamaru could tell he was a blonde, taller than him at least, and dark-skinned. "You'll wake dead with how loud you were about to scream."

The stranger removed the item from Konohamaru's mouth to let him speak. "Who are you and what do you want?" he hissed.

"I could ask you the same. What're you doing in my tea house?"

There was no need to ask if it belonged to him if the guy already proclaimed it was. Konohamaru was many things, but he wasn't disrespectful. "We didn't mean to use it as a sleeping quarter; it was really hot, we needed shelter, and we were expecting the tea house to be occupied."

Konohamaru didn't have to see to know that the stranger narrowed his eyes. Did he say something wrong? The stranger sighed heavily before leaning a tad bit closer than what could be considered comfortable. "I see, so you were referred. An old man, 2 guys, and a chick? Well don't I have my work cut out for me?"

"What're you—" Konohamaru was suddenly caught off by the feel of a large hand cupping his…p-p-privates! The hand strongly massaged the front of his pants as if it were the most natural thing it could touch. Never, never ever in his wildest dreams, did Konohamaru think pleasure could be induced so strongly, quickly, and forcibly. "H-How dare—What do you _think_ you're doing?!" He couldn't find it in him to scream he trembled so much. His voice just sounded squeaky and breathless.

The stranger placed his lips next to Konohamaru's ear, whispering the most casual terms in the most sensual of ways. "What do I think I'm doing?" He repeated. The stranger grabbed Konohamaru's chin to tilt it up and grasp a clearer view of it. "Considering how fresh you look, do you really want to know what I think?" A tremor passed through the stranger's body, transferring it on to Konohamaru. "I'm thinking how virgins are my favorite thing to taste. How fun it's going to be watching you fall apart." He started rutting against Konohamaru's thigh, uncaring of how he looked while doing it. "Maybe that friend of yours can lick your pink little hole for me while the girl blows you. The old man can watch," he said with a chuckle.

The thought of his teammates, his friends, engaging in such scandalous acts both enthralled and appalled him—just the thought of Udon's snot almost eradicated the heated member straining between his thighs….

H-Heated…member? As in an erection?! Why the hell does he have one with this freak dry humping him out in the public?! "S-Stop, oh my god, stop!" His voice waivered, making him embarrassed to believe that he sounded as if he were pleading.

The stranger did surprisingly slow down, but he didn't stop as asked. Instead, he swayed his hands all over Konohamaru's arms, back, and chest, creating this mist of warmth that made that heated member now throb for attention. "If they referred you to me, I promise, you won't leave here until every inch of you has been fucked and satisfied."

The most effeminate gasp escaped through him before the stranger crashed his own plump lips against his. Konohamaru wasn't experienced in this field of growing up, at least not yet. Yet, his lips moved so naturally against his and it didn't intimidate him at all to throw in some tongue swipes to taste that foreign taste that came with this accursed being. The stranger slithered a hand down Konohamaru's chest, quickly reaching the line of his pants. Should he throw this guy off and scream bloody murder? Should he try and grab one of his kunai knives and stab this perverted jerk in the eye? All the signs said that he should, but his dick was at a boiling point and something that this guy said kept pulling at his mind. What did he mean by referral? Well, none of that mattered when that big warm _fucking_ hand wrapped around his dick and stroked it like it was his own and he was desperate for release. Konohamaru's eyes rolled in the back of his head at the intensity of it. He gasped and huffed, trying to memorize the delicious tickling that rolled around all throughout his body. So this was adulthood, huh?

"Want to come?" the stranger asked, his voice strained from feeling heated himself.

Being that he never found himself in such a predicament before, he wasn't sure how to answer. Do men that engage in same-sexual activities react the same as men that engage in hetero-sexual activities? Is suppose to d-d-d-dirty talk?! How?! Oh god, now that he realized this, he hadn't the faintest idea what the hell he's suppose to do!

A hard squeeze caught his attention again. "Oi, it takes two seconds to answer. I need to know," he whispered as he descended himself onto his knees. He now held Konohamaru's red member openly in the air, displaying it for all, if any, to see. "So I can know when to aim." Despite the stranger's height, he lowered his face until his mouth was slightly beneath Konohamaru's member. A ferocious blush crept upon his features. Did this man have no shame?! And to have the nerve to wink while he's at it! The display alone was enough to send him over the edge and spray directly into the stranger's hot awaiting mouth. Tremor upon tremor coursed through Konohamaru, rendering him a gasping, moaning fool. Lord only knows how long he was in that euphoric state, but when he came down, he saw the sight of something that made him want to return immediately. The stranger swiped the semen that landed on his nose and cheek with his finger and lapped at it with a groan, as if it were the most delicious substance in the world.

He slowly looked up and although Konohamaru could quite make out the color if his eyes, he just knew they weren't common. He felt trapped under that gaze and it made him…want more. But he didn't know this man or even exactly what the hell just happened, but there was something pulling his senses towards him. Before anything could be adjusted, explained, or said, a booming voice pierced through the atmosphere, making him wish he could die right exactly where he stood.

"HALT! Just what is going on?!" Ebisu-Sensei shouted.


	2. The Man Named Tetsu

Hola Folks!

First song in the shuffle: Lorde- Buzzcut Season. Dear bananas, this song is awesome and sad and pretty deep, so if you've never gave it listen before, go and do it!

Anyway, so last chapter, young 16 year old Konohamaru got his rocks off by some stranger and Ebisu ruined the afterglow. So now what happens? And who the heck is this guy?

No such characters in the Naruto universe belong to me.

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

*~NUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNU~*

"_HALT! Just what is going on?!" Ebisu-Sensei shouted._

Mortified didn't even begin to explain how Konohamaru felt with his face all flushed from…_that_ and him looking completely disheveled. Could it be possible that some miracle excuse exists for a situation like this? Probably not, with Konohamaru's luck, probably not. Thank god the stranger had quick enough reflexes to pull up Konohamaru's pants before anyone could see anything.

"I will not ask again," Ebisu-Sensei said, his hand ready with a weapon to strike. "Who are you and what is going on?"

"Sneaky, sneaky, Mister, you snuck in two questions. Who I am isn't of importance, but what's going on is up to you. However much you want to pay is however much is gonna happen."

Ebisu was seething. "How bold of you to imply that you'll make away with our money. Do you think you'll make it out alive against 4 capable shinobi?"

The stranger cracked a smile before replying. "Actually 3, I finished with round one. Besides, I have no clue what you're talking about, weren't _you_ lot sent here?"

Acknowledging that he finished with round one, Ebisu, as well as Udon and Moegi who were quietly watching nearby, blushed from Konohamaru's appearance. "K-Konohamau-Sama?! What happened?!" He turned a violent glare towards the stranger. "What did you do to him?! D-Did you—?"

The stranger furrowed his brows in agitation and confusion. "Hm, this must be some misunderstanding. Aren't you clients sent here to visit the 'Tea House'?"

"No, we stumbled upon this place by accident! No one informed us it was occupied by some…some rapist! Dear god, how can I face Hokaga-Sama if they found out K-Konohamaru-Sama has been…been…defiled!"

Ebisu-Sensei clutched his chest as if his heart would give out at any moment. If the situation wasn't awkward and strange, Konohamaru would have rolled his eyes at the theatrics. He had already fastened his pants around his waist and made his way towards Ebisu-Sensei. "Sensei, he didn't—I know it's weird but I wasn't…raped. Nothing like that happened."

Ebisu slowly lifted his head to look up at Konohamaru and despite the ill-lighting, he could tell that Konohamaru was indeed fine. So Konohamaru was very surprised to feel the sharp sting across his cheek caused by his Sensei's hand. "You consciously divulge yourself in such actions while the rest of us slept, giving clear opportunity to either him or any enemy to attack and kill all of us. You were careless and selfish and you owe an apology to your team." The reality of the situation and sternness of Ebisu-Sensei's voice almost had Konohamaru on the verge of tears.

"Oi, oi, calm down, old man. The kid didn't have much of an understanding of what happened; I kind rushed the pace and made the kid all disheveled from all the action. It was my fault for thinking you were clients."

Konohamaru snapped his sight on the stranger, not understanding why he would go out of his way to defend him. "So you are a rapist," Ebisu-Sensei growled. He readied his weapon once again and stood guarded as he stared down the stranger. "State your name and business."

"Rapist is a bit harsh, don't you think? Eager is more of a term for me. As for who I am, I am just your friendly neighborhood whore and this," he gestured towards the tea house. "is my kingdom."

All four shinobi stared agape at the stranger, all unsure how to process this man's brutal honesty. Was he crazy or just weird? Nevertheless, Ebisu lunged forward, tackling the stranger down onto his stomach and wrapping his arms behind him. "You are under arrest for violating the Land of Fire's law: prostitution is illegal."

The stranger moved his face sideways to gasp for air after being winded from the attack. "Is that so? Well, you guys are behind the times; all the other nations have it legal and even stamped as a holiday. No wonder you're so grumpy."

"Shut up. Udon, Moegi, hold him down while I send out a message to headquarters to notify them of his arrival." Ebisu hadn't even glanced at Konohamaru as he passed by to go and fetch a scroll. After Ebisu's summon left with the scroll, he ordered for the team to gather their belongings and head out.

The stranger's hands were cuffed behind him and a bag was placed over his head as the travelled down the path once again. The night had quickly shifted into dawn, brightening up the path for the 4 shinobi and guest. It was silent and dreadfully awkward as they walked; Ebisu had the stranger attached to his side, acting as if one wrong step would result in their imminent death, Moegi and Udon had their heads down, unsure of what to think of the situation, and Konohamaru felt awful. He couldn't take it if his team now hated him for what happened back at the tea house. Of course he knew what he did was wrong but he hadn't the intention of letting his selfishness cause his team's…death. Just the thought caused an uncomfortable flip in his stomach. When the sun finally broke through, it revealed that they were less than a mile away from the gates; had they been walking that long? Konohamaru could now feel the slight soreness at the heel of his feet, giving him a nice enough distraction from the horror that he knew would occur as soon as they arrived. It was early afternoon when the team finally arrived at the gates of the Leaf Village. There were four guards in total waiting at the gates; two that were already stationed at the gates and two that seemed to be waiting for them to arrive. Konohamaru recognized the lanky, grey-haired figure (no one else really had hair like that) but the person next to him was wearing an ANBU mask so he couldn't tell.

"Kakashi-san," Ebisu acknowledged. "Have you waited long?"

"Maa, I would have made you wait if this one over here didn't threaten me," he replied with a heavy yawn. The man next to him huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest. "Is this the guy?"

"Yes, please handle him immediately. He's got a mouth on him. I must see Sarutobi-Sama at once." Ebisu roughly pushed the stranger ahead until he was in front of Kakashi.

Kakashi hadn't received the full story of what had happened but from what he could tell, this stranger caused enough trouble as it was. He sighed heavily as he weighed the situation—why couldn't some Genin or Chunin come and fetch this guy? Sometimes the ANBU were reduced to the oddest of tasks. The second guy, seeing Kakashi reacting so slow, grabbed the stranger's arm and hauled him in the direction of the jailhouse/interrogation building. The Hokage ordered to profile and register this guy in the system if he proved to be fishy, if not, then take the necessary steps afterwards.

Konohamaru watched as the stranger was taken away and he couldn't stop the overwhelming guilt and sadness that stampeded around in his chest. A part of him felt as if he were suppose to do something but he hadn't a single idea as to what, while the other part felt as if he needed to calm down and just let the chips fall where they may. The guy admitted himself he was a prostitute, his actions were illegal regardless of what he had done to Konohamaru, so this arrest was inevitable anyway…right?

"Konohamaru-Sama, come, we must meet with you grandfather at once." First, Konohamaru had to deal with what his dear ones would say to his behavior.

Back with the stranger, he was taken by the guy with soft yet non-gentle hands into some building that smelled of fish—weird. After some minutes of trying to walk up a flight of stairs without face planting, he was instructed to sit in the chair provided for him. It was terribly cold and uncomfortable but who was he to complain? Finally, the bag was removed from his head and although he had to flinch at the bright lights blinding him, he was glad enough to finally be able to see and breathe.

"Thank you, that bad smelled of an un-bathed dog." The stranger slowly relaxed eyes to get a better look at his new buddies. One guy was wearing a mask that covered 3/4ths of face, only revealing the one lazy eye and his hair was an odd color for a young guy to have. The other guy had a white mask with red markings streaked throughout so the stranger couldn't get a solid look of his face but he saw that the guy's skin tone was a sickly pale and his hair was a contrasting dark.

The quiet guy handed the grey-haired guy a scroll for him to read. The room was quiet as he scanned the letters on the page, ending with a huff as he finished. "You're a prostitute?"

"I am," he admitted boldly.

Kakashi stared at the young man taking note of his complete demeanor. The stranger was a tall man, almost taller than him, with sun-kissed skin that was sheathed in sweat, possibly from the travelling over here. He had what appeared to be either scars or birth marks lined across both his cheeks, giving him an appearance of whiskers. His blonde hair was bright, almost blindingly so, but it heightened his skin as well as his eyes, which quite literally, had to be the bluest orbs he could ever imagine seeing in his entire life. Almost resembling another set of blue eyes. This stranger…was strange. Not just in looks, but in how he carried himself as he spoke; there wasn't an ounce of fear as he spoke in this unfamiliar area, surrounded by unfamiliar people.

"That's a shame, you could do so many other things."

The stranger leaned his head on his fisted hand. "Think so? Even though you don't a single thing about me? What's wrong with what I am?"

"Nothing, but to only give focus on such acts, with strangers no less, who don't consider you as highly as you consider yourself; isn't that a bit sad?" The stranger had no retort. Did he hit a nerve? "What's your name?"

The other guy clasped a pen ready to write down the response. "Whatever you want it to be," he joked with a wink. When he received no response and just blank, bemused stares, he pursed his lips. "Tetsu…"

They waited. "Tetsu what?"

"Just Tetsu. Ah, well, to be honest, I've had many, _many_ names, but the first ever was Tetsu. I was never given that special little ticket that regular kids get when they're born."

"Where are you from?"

"Hell if I know. Apparently I was found in a river soaked in blood and god knows what else. Some old priest found me and raised me under the name of God."

"If you were raised in a church, how did you—"

"End up being a whore?" Tetsu provided a smile that quite obviously didn't reach his eyes. "I learned at a young age that it is unwise to mingle with a crowd you'll never belong to. If you're going to linger, linger with your own kind."

"And who's your kind?"

"I'm going to have to decline in answering that, not that I don't trust you, Mr. Handsome, but a gal like me can't go around spilling all of her secrets."

"Pfft." The small, barely concealed sound came from the quiet guy. Tetsu felt quite accomplished in making him make any kind of noise. Even Kakashi seemed surprised at the response.

"Yes, well, the report mentioned that you assumed the shinobi were 'clients' sent from somewhere. Are you working under someone?"

Tetsu curled in lip in disgust. "Please, I have _some_ standards. Kabuto is a freak that I had the unfortunate experience of sleeping with. After that awful time, he started sending people to find me for sex. I don't know if that's his way of keeping tabs but I've travelled from east jabib and back to get away from him yet he still finds me."

"Hm, this Kabuto sounds dangerous; where can we find him?"

"Not really sure. He was a bit of a nomad like myself when I first met him."

"I see…"

"But if it helps, the guy was really into medicine and healing."

"Healing?"

"Yeah, he had all sorts of notes about regeneration and modern medicine. That's why—" Tetsu suddenly cut himself off. His eyes were slightly wide, his gaze no longer on the two men.

"That's why?" Kakashi pressed.

"It's nothing, nevermind. Anyway, what does any of this have to do with the charges?"

The change of subject hadn't gone unnoticed by either men, but making a fuss about it now would only raise Tetsu's defenses. It was best to take it a little at a time and wait for the best results. Kakashi looked at the scroll again before speaking up. "The issue is that you forcibly engaged yourself in sexual acts with a minor."

"That's an interesting term you use there, Mr. Handsome. I've been reading a lot in the newspaper, you know, and all of these modern doctors argue time and time again that 'minors' are impulsive due to their underdeveloped brains. Yet, your Hokage sends out these half-brained kiddies to go fetch and kill but they're still incapable of having consensual sex?"

"Your points would be valid, except these are all just theories based off of conducted experiments. Until stated otherwise, you still broke a very serious law."

"Did the kid _say_ I do anything against his will?"

"We will question him but it is still hard to argue against '_his pants pulled down around his ankles_'."

"It could be possible that the kid jacked off in front of me."

"….Really?"

"Hey, a picture's worth a thousand words, right? So is a quick assumption. The only way Mr. Suspicious can write such a detailed report is if he saw more than he's letting on."

"What makes you say that?"

"Ah, I have a good sense of smell. That and I heard the fucker jacking off behind the entrance. Got to admit though, he's a hell of an actor the way he pulled it off."

Kakashi narrowed his eye in suspicion. "How do we know you aren't just making any of this up?"

"The kid has a small mole right next to his dick." The two men that sat across from Tetsu said nothing and wondered if that random fact was suppose to explain everything. Tetsu sighed in agitation. "If you word the question nicely, I'll bet you my life that that old man somehow knows that little fact too."


	3. All Forgiven, Not Forgotten

Hola Folks!

First song in the shuffle: Anthony Green ft. Nate Ruess- Only Love. Holy roadrunner, if you've never heard the song before, please give it a listen and absorb the last line of the song because truthfully, if I were breaking up with someone and said such a line, it'd be the most painful thing they'd ever hear and that's without cursing or bringing up the fact that they NEVER put the toilet seat down….anyway.

So we've met Tetsu, an interesting person that throws everyone for a loop but what's this about Ebisu? What will Kakashi do? And what secrets could Tetsu be hiding?

Also, I should have mentioned last chapter or something; Konohamaru is 16 and Tetsu is around 20-21, so all of his peers would be around that same age as well. Basically, just add about four years to everyone from the series. That's all =]

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

*~NUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNU~*

"_If you word the question nicely, I'll bet you my life that that old man somehow knows that little fact too."_

Konohamaru obediently followed behind Ebisu towards his home where his grandfather spent some of his time tending to the garden, the animals, and his own personal affairs. He remembered how, when he was younger, he used to barge into his grandfather's office, ready to attack him with all his might, only to fail and turn tail. Everyone inevitably thought Konohamaru to be obnoxious and childish yet his grandfather never said a word, never scolded him seriously enough to mean it, and never forbade him from doing it again. No matter how busy he was as a Hokage, especially one that had to be temporarily reinstated due to the Fourth's death, he always found time for Konohamaru and his troubles. Would he be disappointed this time? Would he feel disgraced that his grandson naively threw himself in such a web? The fear rattled him senseless but he couldn't cry; if he had lost his dignity in every other manner, then at least he could say that he held himself together.

"Konohamaru-Sama, we're here," Ebisu said. Instead of entering through the main entrance of the house, they walked towards the side where two big white doors resided, his grandfather's room. Ebisu knocked twice, two soft-sounding knocks.

"Come in!" A voice responded.

Ebisu opened the doors and stepped aside to allow Konohamaru to walk in front of him and bowed respectfully once they fully entered the room. "Saidame-Sama, you are looking well."

The Third Hokage, in a casual white shirt and black pants, was sitting on a large white couch with papers stacked on the little mess table next to him and oddly enough, a little kitten curled on his lap. With one wrinkled hand, he would softly pet the kitten, lulling it to sleep, while the other hand scribbled sloppily on the documents he was reading. When he saw his grandson, an adoring smile almost broke through (he had to admit, he was a bit too doting) but he kept it in place when he saw Ebisu trail behind.

"Thank you, I'm feeling well too. To what do I owe this visit?"

"I believe you got the message I sent before our return?"

The Saidame had to ponder for a moment, as if thinking. Perhaps it was a bit…silly, but he would amuse himself in using his fragile age as in excuse to avoid certain conversations or pretend he completely forgot something. However, he couldn't ignore this visit even if he etched it in stone and made it law. With a draining sigh, he reached over to the mess table and grabbed a little scroll with Ebisu's hand writing. "Yes, in fact I did. I'd like to speak with Konohamaru alone, if you please."

With sunglasses, Ebisu had advantage in hiding many of his expressions, but his surprise in being kicked out wasn't one to be well hidden this time. "S-Saidame-Sama, with a due respect, as his teacher, I feel it best to—"

The Third Hokage removed his reading glasses, throwing a fierce glance at Ebisu. "Ebisu-san, I'm sure you've already pointed out the error of his ways and disciplined him as such. For that, I thank you, but now, **I** wish to speak with him. Alone."

Ebisu couldn't argue any longer, not unless he wanted to be in some serious trouble, so he bowed again and made his exit quickly, to hide the embarrassment of having been reprimanded like some child in front of his own student. Throughout the scene, Konohamaru stood awkwardly, unsure of where to look or what to say and now that he was alone, he really felt uncertain. Sweat started to bead at the crown of his hair and forehead, he started to feel warm, hot even, and worse, he felt his grandfather's gaze set directly at him. A stiff aura hung in the room as the silence stretched on. Was he supposed to say something? What was he suppose to say?!

"Gra—"

"Konohamaru, come and sit," he said, patting the spot next to him on the couch.

He was reluctant, only since he had no idea what to expect, but he made his way towards the couch and sat next to his grandfather. Silence reigned control of the room again but now that he sat down next to his grandfather, it felt even more suffocating. "Grandpa," he whispered.

"Well it's about time!" he laughed.

"What?"

"I was just poking some fun, waiting to see when you'd pop. You were standing there like you're sitting here now, like you're waiting for me to execute you. I'm an old man, Konohamaru, I know better than to snap before hearing the other side of the story."

Suddenly, the air felt light and the crippling weight that was weighing on his shoulders just disappeared. How stupid he felt to think his grandfather would just be unreasonable! He turned to look at the elder man and the tears immediately wanted to spill; the older man cleared himself of the documents he was reading before and took the kitten within both hands to give light kisses in its face. The scene was just like his grandfather, in fact, it was the very definition of him. Because despite the wrinkles and older frame, he could see the defining muscles flexing as he pulled the kitten back and forth from his face, he could see the scars from the numerous battles he's survived, yet he could also see the little blush that adorned his cheeks as he cooed the kitten, the childish persona that always came from him even in the most serious of times, the face of a man who loved his family more than anything else in the world. How could Konohamaru have been so terrified to believe this man would be ashamed of him and disown him?

"Grandpa, I messed up. I-I don't even know how it happened so fast but one minute, I'm scared because I think this guy is going to kill me and the others, and the next, I'm…not thinking of any of that. I got so lost in the moment that we all could've been in danger."

"Hm, I found this little baby cat under the bushes, covered in dirt. Want to know what her name is? Her name's Sayaka."

"…Okay?" Konohamaru uttered uncertainly. "Um…Grandpa—"

"Sayaka was also the name of the very first woman I ever fell in love with. Sayaka Yume. She was a quiet girl but boy was she mean! Everyone was a nuisance to her and no matter how many times everyone tried to befriend her, she'd just brushed us all off. Eventually, everyone thought her to be a lost cause but there was something about her that just caught my eye. It was found out later why she acted the way that she did; she had a genetic disease that would take her life away before she could even reach the prime of her shinobi years. At the time, I was told by my father that I needed to court some important young woman to get on some political good graces. Do you know what I did instead?"

Enraptured by the story, Konohamaru almost missed the question. "N-No, what did you do?"

"I disobeyed my father and went to find Sayaka and begged her to let me take her out for one night. By some miracle, she agreed and I spent that evening laughing, joking, doing things I always wished I could have done before but couldn't. I abandoned that poor young woman somewhere and embarrassed my father. I acted selfishly, even though I knew there could be dire consequences to them.

This is not to say that it was _okay_, but I understand. In our culture, these things happen frequently, usually with worse endings. If anything had happened, speaking as a former Hokage, as a former team sensei, and as a former shinobi, the fault would have fallen on Ebisu. As your sensei, he's entrusted with your lives and to teach you where you all fall short. For him to have no plan of protection as you all slept and have you discover and face the 'enemy' first speaks of his incompetency. But that's a separate issue I will speak to him about later on. As for you, the best advice to give is _learn_. Don't take this experience for granted; use it so that if there is a next time, you'll give it 110 and come out stronger than what you were before. And while you're at it, learn to not allow the label of shinobi to discourage you from being young. It's alright to be stupid at times."

A bright smile decorated Konohamaru's face as he felt comforted. It was amazing to learn about his grandfather's rebellious phase but it was also amazing to learn that he grew from those experiences as he will from his. "Thank you, Grandpa."

"Anytime, kiddo. Now, take Sayaka to her litter box, I'm too old to waltz around doing such tasks."

Konohamaru sweat dropped. "Old man, why do you keep picking up pets if ya can't take care of them!"

The Saidame stared at Sayaka and held her up to eye level. "Can you believe this, Sayaka? No respect, can't even help his grandfather out. Kids these days."

Konohamaru 'tsked' as he took the black-and-white kitten from his grandfather's hands and placed her in the litter box. Sayaka meowed happily as she went about her business and the cute scene was enough to convince Konohamaru to even refill her water bowl without being told, which of course, amused his grandfather to no end.

"By the way Konohamaru, I've been meaning to ask…"

"Hm?" He answered as he over-watched Sayaka while she drank her water.

"How attractive is this young man that bedded you?"

Konohamaru whirled around with wide eyes, an open (but speechless) mouth, and every ounce of blood he had in his body coloring his face in a blush. "Bed?! G-Grandpa! He DIDN'T bed me!"

"I'm just wondering who could this young man be to seduce my grandson so quickly. I mean, you've always been interested in Moegi so he must be talented."

"Oh my God, Grandpa! Stop, we're _not_ having this conversation, you perverted old man!"

A hearty laugh was how the elder man took to Konohamaru's insults. It was of no matter, the Saidame wanted to see for himself who was such a bold creature to touch his grandson…

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"And why should we use resources to follow such a vague note of information?"

"What resources? All you need is common sense and good vocabulary. Look, that kid gets fiddled by that closet pervert, that's on you, all I want is to get out of here."

"Well isn't that great timing? We'll just go and put you in a cell while we go and continue the investigation."

"That's not what I meant," Tetsu grumbled.

Kakashi grabbed all of the paperwork from the other man's hands while the other man advanced towards Tetsu and lifted him up from the seat. He wrapped a set of cuffs around his wrists and led him out the door to follow behind Kakashi. Though the walk down the hall was short, it was enough for Tetsu to feel the undeniable strength of the man that held his arm. The tight clutch burned some kind of urge within Tetsu, something he couldn't help but desire. Of course, he kept these thoughts quiet but as he was being led to a cell, it was getting harder to do so. _How funny would it be if I got a boner now?_

Once placed inside the cell, which had a dingy toilet, some lumpy looking fabric that under skeptical terms could be called a mattress, and a bench, Tetsu was uncuffed. "We'll return after we question Konohamaru about the incident and we'll give the information for the Hokage to decide what to do with you. Until then, make sure you behave."

"Sure, just send some food or something while you're at it. I'm starving."

Kakashi just stared before he started shaking his head. Both he and the masked man walked away from the cell which gave Tetsu a clear opportunity to get a view of their asses. _There is a God…_

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"That was different," Kakashi said.

"Hn."

"What do you think?"

The masked man finally took off his mask, revealing a stoic pale face with two manic red orbs embroidered with three clefts in each eye. "He's dangerous. He's definitely hiding something."


	4. Enrich Your Skills with Speed

Hola Folks!

Sorry about taking so long—I'm graduating this May so this month and the beginning of next month is gonna be crazy busy! Thanks for the patience.

First song in the shuffle: Fun.- We Own the Night. Oh Beetlejuice! If you haven't heard this song before, do so now because it's that awesome. It is a cover of a Lady Antebellum song so if you like them and/or Fun., then I think you'll appreciate this.

So the Third was introduced (such an adorable gramps) meanwhile Kakashi and the masked guy have their suspicions about Tetsu. So what happens now? Well read and find out and tell me whatcha think!

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

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_The masked man finally took off his mask, revealing a stoic pale face with two manic red orbs embroidered with three clefts in each eye. "He's dangerous. He's definitely hiding something."_

Kakashi glanced at the man next to him and noticed the furrowed eyebrows that indicated his frustration. "Could you get a read on him?"

The eyebrows furrowed deeper. "No, I didn't want to make it obvious incase he could detect my trying to enter his mind, but I couldn't even scratch the surface. Anyone going to such great lengths is definitely hiding something."

"Maa," Kakashi said with a groan. He was always too lazy to deal with such drama, but even he had to admit that he was intrigued by this sudden visitor. Although, unlike his teammate Sasuke, he didn't really sense danger, just something completely different; he couldn't put his finger on it, but he was sure it was something.

The two made their way out towards the top floor of the Hokage building with Kakashi knocking softly against the two large wooden doors. If he had it his way, they would have gone through the window, but Sasuke was such a prude that Kakashi really had no choice but 'follow the rules' sometimes. He wanted to voice his opposition to such a dull norm, but with Sasuke's current mood, Kakashi was glad he kept those thoughts to himself.

The doors opened to reveal a petite frame of about 5"4', dressed in a black garb that matched closely in shade with her short hair. With one hand, she cradled a small pot-belly pig that was as much as a political figure as the Hokage herself—their pet, Ton-Ton—and with the other, she held the door open with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey, Kakashi-san, Sasuke-san, what brings you two here?"

"Sup, we need to brief the Hokage about something. You look a little lively today."

"That's because Tsunade-Sama's almost finished with her paper work…without getting drunk! It's a joyous occasion!"

Although Kakashi's mask always made it difficult to decipher what expression he wore, it was clear that at the moment, he was trying not to laugh at Shizune's moment of excitement. Sasuke just wore the same expression—there was nothing, if anything, that ever really made Sasuke laugh. The two were lead inside where they saw their Hokage sitting behind her desk vehemently scribbling away. Her face was contorted in intense focus with sweat beading on her forehead and her breathing coming out in rough pants. Strands of her blond hair were loose from their ties and her hazel-colored eyes were blown wide, not even taking the time to blink.

"Ano…," Kakashi trailed.

"What?!" Tsunade snapped without missing a beat. It made the two shinobi wonder if it better to just let her drink.

Neither Kakashi nor Sasuke knew what to say in such a circumstance so they awkwardly remained silent. Thankfully, Shizune, being the personal assistant of the Hokage, wasn't afraid to step forward and speak.

"Tsunade-Sama, Kakashi-san's here with Sasuke about something."

"Spit it out, already!"

"It's about the letter that Ebisu-san sent in regards to Konohamaru's attack," Kakashi replied.

Tsunade snapped out of her spell and finally looked up to face the two men; her eyes suddenly narrowed with a dangerous glint. "So the sonofabitch raped the kid," she growled venomously.

"Well…we still aren't certain."

"…What the hell do you mean you 'still' aren't certain?"

This time Sasuke spoke up with an answer. "He gave us an answer that is plausible but unless Konohamaru-Sama says otherwise, it will be hard to say."

"Well, have you spoken to the kid?"

"He was instructed to visit his grandfather during our interrogation so we have not had the chance."

"Then why the hell are you here with this half-assed report when you could be questioning the kid?!" Tsunade was beginning to lose her temper; Shizune worried that the stacks of paper would collapse.

"Hokage-Sama, we were hoping _you_ could interject in this line of questioning." Sasuke approached the desk and delicately placed the folder that he held in his hand in front of her. "The suspect goes by the name of Tetsu, he's admitted to being a prostitute, and he cooperated throughout the whole interrogation, answering most of the questions. However, in regards to the subject at hand, he made an accusation that I feel should be further investigated."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow speculatively but opened up to read the documents anyway. Sasuke, with his highly skilled observational eyes, could easily detect the minute widening of the Hokage's eyes as she read the verbatim dialog held between Tetsu and Kakashi. "You believe the word of a prostitute?"

"I'd like to argue otherwise," Kakashi replied. "But he was pretty convincing. Considering the fact of how delicate this subject is, we thought it best to ask Konohamaru-Sama a few questions to clear the air."

"The both of you do realize that he's a prostitute, correct?" Tsunade shouted. "His very profession is to 'convince' people into listening to him! But he must be one hell of a looker if he managed to have the both of you running around!"

"Hokage-Sama," Sasuke voiced with narrow eyes, clearly offended by the jab at his intelligence. "Please finish reading the entire interrogation. It is not to say that this man isn't guilty of something, but he seemed adamant about this. We just need the story either confirmed or denied by Konohamaru-Sama and how we approach the subject."

Tsunade did seem to calm down and resumed reading all of the notes within the folder. After taking a deep breath, she leaned her head back against the top of her chair. "Sorry, that dictator over there has refused to allow me any type of alcoholic drink. I'll ask the Third if he doesn't mind swinging by with the kid. Meanwhile, I'm a little curious about this Kabuto guy."

"Yes, Tetsu mentioned a short relation to him but stopped abruptly before we could get any further. He said something about regeneration but that seemed to step on some kind of landmine."

"How interesting, and you couldn't get into his mind? Even more interesting. For now, let's focus on what the kid says and if need be, we'll get Ibiki and his interrogation 'abilities' to drag out the missing information."

Sasuke and Kakahi both bowed before Tsunade and spoke in unison: "Yes, Hokage-Sama."

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_1 Hour Earlier_

Tetsu appeared calm to the outside naked eye but internally, he was suffering. He disliked how foreign he felt within these walls and if things progressed as they currently were, it was only going to get a lot worse. He had to think of a way out without getting caught, but that just seemed impossible. Tetsu wasn't stupid, the silver-haired guy practically exuded strength while the other one didn't exude anything at all, which meant he was forcing himself to hide his strength. If they had strong people like that just doing interrogations on prostitutes, there was no telling who else lived in this village.

_Just the force of a finger_

_A push of some strength_

_To pierce their skulls_

_And run for the hills_

No, that wouldn't do. Could he, of course, it wouldn't even break a sweat, but he wouldn't. All it would do is cause an uproar and attention, the kind of attention he doesn't need nor want. There had to be another way…

_Find the boy through earth and air_

_Tell him your lies and lay low_

_Enrich your skills with speed_

_And bless the nature as you go_

Ah, sage mode could definitely work, but the odds were low. Could he risk it? He had nothing else to lose. He approved of this plan which elicited a deep rumble in the depths of his belly. The first task on his escape plan, find the kid. Tetsu took a look around the cell, noticing that no one was close or coming by anytime soon, and placed his hands together while he sat on the floor. He kept his thoughts concentrated on the natural elements surrounding him, on the task he laid before him, on his own breathing, and the flow of that air through his body. It took longer than he liked, but he could suddenly feel this force course through him in a violent pulse. The ground beneath him caressed his bottom as the air around him licked at whatever skin was available. He felt heated, but it was a comfortable heat that delicately travelled throughout his whole being, igniting his very core.

There were whispers throughout the open air, the trees and water speaking in tongues he was lucky enough to understand. He needn't have physically spoken to make his request; nature was a creature that already knew. As if his very soul travelled through the ground and around, he sensed a very familiar energy. He found the kid. Tetsu opened his eyes, and if anyone were lucky enough to have seen, they would have fallen victim to the red-orange slits that burned deeply enough to incite both pleasure and fear. They would have felt the raw animalistic aura that surrounded him, and they wouldn't have cared because of the crippling sense of lust. In a puff of smoke, a replica appeared before him with the same carnivorous expression as him.

"Go find the kid and tell him to lie. I'll get a head start out of here. Try not to get caught."

"Of course."

As if by magic, the clone disappeared, leaving Tetsu alone once again to his own devices. Now onto the next task: escaping.

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The clone-Tetsu travelled swiftly through the crowds of citizens and on top of buildings all without being caught. As he reached closer, the kid's energy felt stronger; he wasn't too far now. However, clone-Tetsu couldn't just approach the kid as he is now, that would be all too suspicious and just entirely stupid. What could be the best disguise? A quick memory flickered in his mind to answer that question. As he neared closer, he gracefully somersaulted, but instead of landing as clone-Tetsu, she landed as clone-Moegi. Tetsu had good memory but he still worried if he had all of the details correct; she was a tad shorter than Konohamaru, she had two oddly positioned pigtails, and her cheeks were a rosy color that highlighted all the strengths of her face. He supposed that was close enough.

She hid behind a building wall, waiting for any sign of Konohamaru. Luckily, she hadn't the need to wait long since he came out walking right next to some old man. This made the plan a little trickier but if she spoke quickly enough and towered down her urgency, this could work smoothly.

"Konohamaru!" she shouted, hoping that her voice was accurate as well.

Konohamaru, as well as his grandfather, turned around at the sound. He saw Moegi waving frantically at him with a bright smile, which created in increase in his heartbeats. "Moegi, what're you doing here?"

"Sorry, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute?"

"Actually, we were called by Tsunade-Sama, so I gotta go."

"Please? I swear, it will only take a minute!" Bad move. Tetsu wasn't sure if this Moegi was an understanding type or a pushy type and regardless, the fact that the kid had some urgent business of his own with the old man (which, if he guessed correctly, must be that important guy that Mr. Suspicious was referring to earlier) made the whole scene seem that much odder.

"Konohamaru, won't you be a gentleman and help her out? We have enough time to spare before we have to meet up in the Hokage's office," the old man said. Thank god!

Konohamaru nodded and jogged his way over to Moegi with some shy smile as if he were a hormonal teenager…wait—"What's up?"

Clone-Moegi glanced over Konohamaru's shoulder and saw the old man facing the other way, patiently waiting for their business to end. Was the old man aware that something was off? "Listen, I'm not Moegi. It's me, kid, the stranger from the tea house."

Clone-Moegi spoke quickly which may have just confused Konohamaru, but luckily, he had understood everything she said. His cheeks suddenly inflamed and his eyes bugged out as if they were going to fall out. "What are you doing here?! How did you even get here?" he hissed.

"That doesn't matter! Listen, they asked me some questions and I obviously lied. I'm guessing they haven't questioned you yet, right?" Konohamaru shook his head. "Good, when they do, tell them whatever build up you want, but when you get to the finale, tell them _you_ jacked off in front of me—I didn't touch you. Got it?"

If possible, Konohamaru's cheeks burned hotter. "What?! Why the hell would I say that?!"

"Because shit's gonna hit the fan if you don't. Trust me, I know we don't know each other, but you don't want this to go in that direction. Please."

He looked at the stranger's pleading fake eyes (which awkwardly had Moegi's face) and couldn't help but tremble under that look. It was as if he could see the stranger's handsome face hidden behind the face of his teammate. "Ugh, fine. That's so stupid, but fine! Now go before Grampa notices."

"I owe ya, kid. Whatever you want, blowjobs, rim jobs, hand jobs—"

"I get it, GO!" he screamed with a furious shout. Clone-Moegi laughed as she departed from Konohamaru, leaving him to collect himself before he stood beside his grandfather.

"Is everything alright?"

"Y-Yeah, she just needed a favor."

The Third simply nodded and the two continued on their way to the Hokage's office. They had received a message to report to the office immediately, but the message was solely meant for Konohamaru; the Third Hokage just wanted to tag along and understand the situation as best he could. When they arrived, they noticed Kakashi, Sasuke, and Shizune standing close beside Tsunade's desk while Tsunade was sitting down with her chin resting on her crossed fingers.

"Tsunade-chan, you're looking well," the Third said cheerfully.

"Thank you, I'm a bit surprised you came along."

"This does appear to be a serious problem and he is my grandson. I'm just here as support for him."

"Very well, I hold no objection to that, but there are some questions I need to ask that are personal. I need the kid to understand that whether you're in the room or not, he needs to be honest and unafraid. Can you do that?" she asked Konohamaru.

"Yes."

"Good, now tell us what happened, starting from the mission."

Konohamaru told the story as asked, mentioning all of the epic and clumsy moments of the entire mission, the conversations held between all of them, the strategy to get back home, the unwavering heat, the finding of the tea house and how they decided to use it as a sleeping quarters, him hearing an odd noise, him investigating the noise and meeting the stranger (Tetsu), and finally, what happened between the two of them, even though that little bit was a lie.

"I am to understand that you willingly masturbated in front of a stranger?"

Konohamaru wanted to die, especially with so many eyes staring right at him. It should have been the moment where he realized that the stranger was just that—a stranger—and he didn't owe the guy anything, but every time he opened his mouth, he would freeze and shut it closed. Realistically, he didn't want to rat on the stranger even though it didn't make any sense as to why. "Y-Yes. H-He said he was a whore and needed money. I…was curious and wanted to see how far I could go, but I didn't want him touching me, so I just…acted and then Ebisu-Sensei caught us."

"So he didn't force you or touch you?"

"No, Sir, he didn't."

Kakashi and Sasuke seemed perplexed by the whole retelling of the story. Unfortunately, Konohamaru didn't realize how bad of a liar he was, but whether he was lying or not wasn't the issue, it was how the hell did the kid know _what_ to lie about?! Did Tetsu mention something before they got caught? Kakashi remembered him saying that he had good hearing and sense of smell, so if he knew Ebisu was watching, wouldn't he plan ahead of time? But why would Konohamaru-Sama agree?

Tsunade was thinking along the same lines but there was nothing she could really do unless the kid called it. She shifted her sights at the Third who very minutely nodded to show that he too knew about the situation and of Konohamaru's fibs.

"I see, if that is the case, then we can go forward from here on out, however, I must put in my opinion of the whole situation; it is understandable that in certain circumstances, there is no helping how things pan out, but a shinobi must always consider _what_ may happen at all times. You actions endangered the health of your teammates as well as your own, not to mention that although this man's actions are considered illegal in these lands, he could have gotten into some serious trouble if it were discovered he engaged in such acts with a minor. Do you understand what I am telling you?"

"Y-Yes, Sir."

"Very well, then for one month, you will be suspended from missions and assist in menial tasks within the academy and along with the Genin. I wish for you to think about your actions; as the future Hokage, one that wishes to follow in his grandfather's footsteps, you must remember where your faults lie and rectify them as best you can before they become your ultimate downfall. Is this understood?"

Konohamaru wanted to curse that darn stranger for this humiliation and he wanted to cry once again, but the stranger said to trust him, so trust him he'll do. "Yes, Sir." That stranger will just have to owe him BIG time.


	5. Oh So Little Time

Hola Folks!

How are you guys? Doing well? Just wanted to tell you in advance that this _might_ be the last chapter I write before April 30th only because I have a 30-page paper due on that day about the Sexual Revolution(s) so I want to put sole focus on that even though all I've been thinking about is this story! Haha, hope you understand, see you soon!

So for the first song of the shuffle, it's a fairly new song but I thought the lyrics were so strong and the flow of the song was so good that I'd tell you about it. It's B.O.B ft Priscilla- John Doe. The radio is probably playing it every five minutes anyway, but give it a listen, it's a good song.

Anyway, so we discover that Tetsu can use shadow-clone jutsu and is devising a plan to escape. Will he succeed or will the plan fall apart? Well, give it a read and tell me what you guys think! =]

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

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_Konohamaru wanted to curse that darn stranger for this humiliation and he wanted to cry once again, but the stranger said to trust him, so trust him he'll do. "Yes, Sir." That stranger will just have to owe him BIG time._

**In the outskirts of the village on their way back home:**

"Oh yeah, Tsunade's gonna love me! She's gonna be so happy that I won all of this money!"

"Yes, for her to gamble away…"

"Shut up, so she has her bad days, everyone gets those."

"Bad days, yes, but having a legacy about your bad luck with money? That's a sign."

"See, this is exactly why people want to punch you in the nuts! You're so condescending!"

"It's a wonder why Tsunade stooped so low as to marry you."

"Because I'm a 'packaged' deal," he said with a wink. "Speaking of which, are _you_ getting laid or do you need me to hook you up?"

"…."

**Back at the Hokage's Office:**

"If you have more time to spare, I would like to speak with you about some other matters," Tsunade directed at the Third.

"I do. Konohamaru, please return home and wait for me."

"Okay, Grandpa." Konohamaru respectfully bowed before Tsunade and turned to leave, closing the door quietly behind him. When all parties sensed that he was out of hearing range, Tsunade jumped straight to business.

"I presume you had no hand in that just now?"

"What do you take me for? I love him dearly, but I would never jeopardize him like that. I don't know why he lied, but since he is doing it, there must be valid reason."

"Do you think it could possibly have anything to do with Ebisu-san?"

"Ebisu? Why mention him?"

Tsunade cleared her throat while the three people up against the side of the wall, Shizune, Kakashi, and Sasuke, glanced down. No one had the heart to say what had to be said next. "Well, you see…" She grabbed the papers that were on her desk and gestured for Shizune to take it and hand it over to the Third. She waited patiently as he read the transcripts, anticipating the look of horror that contorted his features.

"What is this?! Has any of this been validated?!"

"No, but—"

"This is a very serious accusation, Tsunade. May I remind you that I myself selected Ebisu-san as Konohamaru's teacher; the man has his faults, but this…to discover that he may…," the Third trailed off and shook his head, unable to believe what he had just read.

"I agree and I understand your frustration, but Kakashi and Sasuke seem to think that the man we have in custody holds enough merit to be believed. Not to mention, Konohamaru just lied under oath to protect said man. Clearly, there is more to this than what we're learning, but it's unfortunate that we are uncertain as to who we are to believe."

"Who is this young man that is making everyone doubt their own people?"

"Very little is actually known about him; he was an orphan found by a priest and somewhere along the lines became a prostitute. The mysterious thing about him is that our very own ANBU specialist, Sasuke, couldn't even penetrate his psyche."

"If anything, this stranger sounds more questionable than Ebisu-san. I still fail to see why we must doubt Ebisu-san's innocence because of a claim made by a third party member."

Kakashi stepped forward and bowed at the Third Hokage before speaking. "Hokage-Sama, if I may?" Tsunade nodded and gestured for him to continue. "Saidame-Sama, I—we apologize if we've crossed the line in anyway, but when there is any concern or accusation made in regards to harm against the children of this village, our job is to investigate and end it right there. We do not wish to point fingers at Ebisu-san; if he is found innocent, I will personally apologize myself and assure that this matter will never be held against him."

"I do not doubt this about you, Kakashi-san, my worry is that we now hold Ebisu-san in a different light based off of what a _stranger _has told you. A stranger that is being held in custody because of a prostitution charge. That doesn't seem a bit…too convenient?" No one replied to the question. "I propose a fairer trade."

"Which is?" Tsunade asked.

"I meet this young man along with Inoichi-san and if I find that he speaks some semblance of truth, then we can disregard the prostitution charge and change focus onto Ebisu-san. Deal?"

Tsunade released a burdensome huff of air through her nose and bit the end of lip as she contemplated the deal. After some short bout of silence, she nodded her head in agreement. "I suppose this is our best option to finding the truth. Kakashi, find Yamanaka-san and tell him we are in need of his assistance. If he can't, then please find his daughter instead, Ino."

"Yes, Hokage-Sama.

"Sasuke, you will escort the old man to the stranger's cell and keep watch."

"Yes, Hokage-Sama."

"Thank you, Tsunade," the Third said as he went to stand up.

"Don't go thanking me, old man. Just don't lose your temper."

That piece of advice raised a laugh out of the Third since he found it ironic that the most temperamental person on the planet just told him not to lose his own temper. Sasuke stood, waiting, by the door to lead the Third back towards the holding cells. Tsunade replayed the whole encounter in her head until a large shiny bottle caught her attention. Shizune didn't say anything, she just nodded and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet; it looked to Tsunade that this whole ordeal was as exhausting for Shizune as it was for her. Although she shouldn't have felt it, Tsunade did feel a bit happy that all of the documents could be forgotten for the moment so they could drown themselves in alcohol.

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Sasuke placed his mask back on as he walked alongside the Third. The Third made no comment, but he did want to make a joke about the mask and Sasuke's face—being the only difference is that the mask has more coloring—but Sasuke was a hard egg to crack so he didn't want to take a chance and upset him. He thought it was a funny joke though. The two neared the holding cells so it wasn't much to walk, but the Third wasn't one to favor silence, despite his old age. He loved conversations and learning what direction the youth were headed in and he loved adapting his mentality to the modern ages. He wondered how he could get Sasuke interested enough to say something, and luckily, an idea came to mind.

"Ah, I forgot to ask earlier, but how are the plans going?"

Sasuke, who seemed to be in a world of his own behind his mask, quirked his head. "I apologize, Sir, but plans in regards to what?"

"Don't be silly, of course I mean with the wedding! How is everything going?"

"Very well, thank you. We'll be married by this time next year if everything goes as planned."

"Good, good to hear. I'm sure your brother is having a grand time helping with the plans."

Sasuke knew that the elder man couldn't see his face with the mask on, but he couldn't help but grimace. At the mention of his older brother, he thought about how the wedding had turned Itachi into some drill sergeant that had to have everything timed and perfect. It was quite obnoxious. "Yes, perhaps he's even more excited than we are."

"Haha! Well at least it gives him something to do."

"That it does," Sasuke muttered, more so to himself than to the Third. The wedding plans kept Itachi busy well enough to have him temporarily forget about his current circumstances.

The Third simply chuckled and followed Sasuke's lead ahead into the building of the holding cells. They had to climb a couple flight of stairs before reaching down the hall towards the cell that held the odd stranger by the name of Tetsu. A fellow shinobi walked down the corridor—Sasuke remembered his name being something along the lines of Ishin, Isan, or something of that nature, and he was normally stationed at the check-in desk where visitors signed in or out when seeing someone in any of the cells. The man approached the two and bowed before the Third.

"Hello, Saidame-Sama, ANBU-san, Yamanaka-san just wanted me to tell you that he's already waiting in the cell."

"Thank you, Ishiki-san," said the Third. Sasuke mentally frowned at being outdone by the Third in remembering names but he'd remember it next time, for sure.

Sasuke signed both of their names in and moved to the side to allow the Third to enter the cell first. Kakashi and Inoichi were standing by the entrance of the cell, both bowing at the Third's appearance. The air suddenly felt tense with four shinobi glaring intensely at one lone man who sat on a chair with both of his arms and legs shackled. Tetsu still had that smug-like expression, one that knew all of the odds were against him but it wasn't enough for him to take seriously. Instead, he stared right back at all of the shinobi, displaying his courage in an unsubtle fashion. The Third was unhindered by the challenge and stepped forward to decrease the space between him and Tetsu. In every step that he took, he used the seconds to absorb every detail he could obtain about Tetsu's appearance. There was so much nostalgia in the young man's eyes and overall features; it was almost frightening to say the least. And as odd as it sounded, the Third couldn't help but note that this young man was indeed _very_ attractive; there was this exotic air to him that narrowed the boundary line between man and beast. This man was a prostitute? Now the Third understood why Sasuke and Kakashi were a tad thrown off in their assumptions.

A clearing of the throat brought the Third out of his deep thoughts. "S-Saidame-Sama?" Inoichi asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I apologize, I was just thinking of something."

Tetsu smiled even though the Third wasn't talking to him. "Oh, don't apologize; if you were thinking what I think I know what you were thinking, then by all means, please continue."

The young man certainly had the looks, but his mouth ruined the prestige image the Third thought of him as. "Do you think you can win personality points by flirting with an old man like me? I'm not that much of a fool, you know."

"Interesting how people correlate unattractiveness with age. Is it really so silly to think of you as attractive even though you're older? Then what would be the point of growing older if you're only meant to experience youth?"

"With age comes experience."

"Is that right? Then by your logic, an old man experiences all that he can and no longer can he accomplish anything new."

"This and That are two separate arguments. All I wish to learn is the truth," the Third said in a cool voice. He pivoted the tone of the conversation into a serious and cold atmosphere that made Tetsu, for some unknown reason to him, feel cornered.

With narrowed eyes and a tense body form, Tetsu leaned back against his chair, rattling his shackles as obnoxiously as he could in the process. "Truth is a pretty subjective term, but I'll do the best I can."

"That won't be necessary; in fact, all we would need you to do is remain still."

"Is that why we have some extra guests here? Why? What are you planning on doing?" Tetsu began curling his lip, his body coiled tighter in defense. He secretly worried if any of these men were planning on attacking him.

"This gentleman here," the Third gestured at Inoichi. "Is going to use a special jutsu that will peak into your psyche."

The panic level rose dangerously high within Tetsu, almost making him want to vomit. He pushed his back hard against the chair even though he had nowhere to go, but he put his guard up regardless. He curled his lip to bare his teeth like a wild animal ready to attack; he didn't like where this was going at all.

"The hell he's going anywhere near me! You have no right!"

"In matter of rights, our constitution allows us to investigate any matters that may lead us to suspect an act of terrorism. Thus, we have the right."

"A terrorist? Oh, what the fuck, now you're just making shit up! '_This and That are two separate arguments_', is that not what you said? We're talking about whether I diddled the kid or not, I said I didn't, what the fuck does that have to do with terrorism?!"

The frown lines on the Third deepened. "I will only ask you this once, watch your language in my presence. If it must be explained, your admittance to being a prostitute is very suspicious; the tea house that you handled your "business" in resides in the border of our nation, on the pathway to our very village. Yet, no shinobi have ever recalled crossing it coming to or from the village. Why is that?"

Tetsu half shrugged. "I recently drifted here about a few weeks ago. I travel a lot, you know, for better business. I still don't see where the terrorism comes in."

"Not finished yet; then it just so happens that, by coincidence, you sexually attack a minor that happens to be the grandson of an important political figure. You mean to tell me that that doesn't sound like the beginning of a terrorist attack?"

Tetsu was about to roar in denial but a small part of his brain caught on to the trick immediately. It didn't matter if he agreed or denied, the old man was going to intelligently manipulate his words in a roundabout way in order to make a plausible case. If everyone was in accordance with the terrorist charge, then this was going to be harder than he thought. He looked around the room at the other men but they were all motionless against the far wall, staring at the old man conduct his macho act. If he resisted any further, they were going to catch on that something was awry, but if he complied, then he was going to run out of time. That was what he needed, he needed to buy more time…

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**Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks so much for the reviews so much! Any kind of praise or criticism is always welcome =] Thanks again!**


	6. What's Behind the Door?

Hola Folks!

Whew! That felt like the longest break of mah life! Well, I am back now and ready to roar and have a fresh new mind. I barely managed to finish that awful paper (admittedly not my best work but we'll see) and now have some time to get into some fan-fic writing. In other news, while at work, I managed to see the movie The Host and although there were some things I didn't favor (like Ian Somerhalder _not_ being cast as Ian O'Shea! Blasphemy!) but it was a cute movie nonetheless. It got me in the mood of reading the book again and boy did my feels swirl like a 15 year old dork. Talk about awesome true love: 3 me some WandaxIan!

Anywhooizes, today's first song of the shuffle is…Thomas Newman- Nemo Egg (Extended version), now before you laugh, Thomas Newman is an arts-man when it comes to compositions and this adorable theme song for such an amazing movie will forever be in my playlist until I'm old with great-grandchildren watching the movie with me =] Give it a listen if you're feeling blue or if you're going for a walk, it's awesome!

So, onto the story: last chapter ended with Tetsu being told that his charges were going to change from prostitution to terrorism! Whoa Third! But he needs some time, but for what? What happens next?! Well ya silly billies, read and find out! While you're at it, please rate and review and tell me what you think; any praise or criticisms are greatly appreciated.

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

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_If he resisted any further, they were going to catch on that something was awry, but if he complied, then he was going to run out of time. That was what he needed, he needed to buy more time…_

"I gotta say," Tetsu growled through gritted teeth. "I'm not in real favor of this idea."

"If what you've said is true, then there is nothing to hide, correct?" The Third pressed.

"Nothing related to this village, sure, but I still have some personal memories I prefer not to share."

"Then in that case," the Third said as he waved Inoichi forward towards Tetsu. "We thank you for your sacrifice."

_Asshole_, Tetsu thought.

_Allow them passage_

_Allow them in_

_Nothing will happen_

_They will know of no sin_

This sounded like too much a gamble; would it really buy enough time? A light surge of pain in Tetsu's chest was answer enough. Gamble or not, this was the only option. Fair enough. The man by the name of Inoichi approached Tetsu with caution, eyeing him from hair to shoe, almost to see if he was securely tied up. The Third and Inoichi gave each other a long stare, communicating solely through pupils—if that were possible. The other two, from what he could see, were quietly watching the whole scene. Secretly—or perhaps not so secretly very soon—he imagined them seductively walking up towards him with the sway of their hips and strip teasing that ninja gear off with the other two beside him holding him down. He imagined the silver-haired on his lap first, twisting himself in a way that made the obvious bulge in his pants even more obvious. He imagined himself feeling turned on by the scene and having to writhe against the men bearing their strength down on him. He imagined the masked one, feeling left out, walking behind him to rake his long, pale fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp hard enough to desire those scratches on his back. He then imagined those fingers grasping his hair and pulling his head back to place those cold false lips upon his warm human ones. Of course, this was only to distract him from seeing the silver one trail downwards with open-mouthed kisses. Just the thought of what that face must look like caused a violent shudder to course through his veins. The unrealistic scenario almost made Tetsu laugh; in such dire situations, was it really so smart to think about sex?

The feel of an actual hand on his head snapped Tetsu back to reality. Alarmingly, he looked up in hopes that his fantasy was to come true but was disappointed to see it was Inoichi. Not that the man was hard on the eyes, but he didn't look as…_instinctual_ as the other two. He looked as if he were gentle and kind to his lovers, something that Tetsu admired, but didn't want for himself.

"This will not hurt you, I assure you," Inoichi said lowly.

"I'm not scared, just pissed. Just do what you gotta do."

Inoichi nodded and closed his eyes in concentration, focusing on the task at hand. All within an instant, Inoichi's physical body limped and was caught by Sasuke. His mind darted towards Tetsu and entered his mental realm. The very first thing Inoichi noticed was the overbearing heat that surrounded him. Before even landing on the ground, he felt sweat seep out of his pores and through his clothing. _What is this?_ He looked around and saw the traditional blueprint structure that many people had within their minds; a long hallway filled with a variety of doors that represented a collective of memories to symbolize an emotion. But this 'hallway' was painted as a dungeon hall with blood red bricks and steel-like doors of all sizes strewn throughout in a disorganized manner. There was steam blocking one end of the hallway while the other end was just more doors and heat.

It was getting difficult to breathe the hot and humid air; Inoichi began panting in harsh huffs, trying to regain his senses. He was an awe of the unique structure but he wasn't sure if it that was considered a good thing or something completely dangerous. Nevertheless, he had a mission to accomplish and he had no choice but to sift through this man's memories. Inoichi had to consider the type of crime this man had committed—a crime of lust, perversion, and sin. Ordinarily, a person's 'dark' memories were categorized slightly different than the joyful or neutral memories; the doors would be either dented or marked with slashes or stamped with symbols that correlated to what might have traumatized them. This hallway was difficult to decipher since it had none of that to go on. After taking deep breath, Inoichi reached for the door closest to him but snapped his hand back after feeling the burning heat from the door knob. _What the hell is wrong with this place?!_ There were too many things that bothered Inoichi about this place!

With anger and frustration now fueling him, he grabbed the knob, twisted and pulled. A light lush of steam blew out but Inoichi was able to wave it away fast enough to see what memory lie behind it. He regretted it as soon as he saw it…

It was a poorly lit room but he could easily see a woman in high heels moving about in this way or that, moaning incoherent sentences to whoever would listen. Her striking back was glistening under whatever illumination existed in this memory while dark figures clutched at her skin like animals. He concluded that he probably couldn't see their faces or bodies because Tetsu didn't find them important or significant enough to remember. The woman moaned again and begged for more, for whatever she could get. The memory startled Inoichi and he meant to slam the door shut and move on so he could finally get this over with (thank goodness Ino wasn't assigned to this task) but the woman suddenly stopped her noises and motion.

"May I ask, who are you?" Her voice was hoarse and deep.

"S-Sorry—I didn't mean—I—," Inoichi stammered and out of uncertainty and embarrassment, he slammed the door shut. He knew it was immature but he couldn't help his face turning beet red and his nose on the brink of bleeding. As he hastily turned to leave, the door opened.

"Oi, who are you?" The same mysterious woman asked. Inoichi suddenly processed that the memory woman not only spoke but opened the door! Memories **DO NOT** do that!

Within an instant, Inoichi pulled out a kunai knife in defense. "Who are you and what are you doing?!"

The woman smirked with a quirked eyebrow, clearly amused by Inoichi's actions. "Calm down," she began but her throat was still dry-sounding and husky. She cleared her throat and began again. "Calm down. You're the real intruder here. Are you looking for the guard?"

Inoichi knew what she was referring to; there was different terminology, depending on the person, but essentially the guard was the gate-keeper or the protector of the memories. "Are you the guard?"

The woman laughed. "I guess you could call me one of his lackies. So, who are you?"

"The same question could be asked of you. Are you a part of that memory?"

"That memory? Pfft, no, I was just goofing around." The woman suddenly smiled. "The kid has some interesting shows. Wanna look through some more doors?"

He shuddered in thinking about what else could be hidden behind these doors. "No, thank you. If possible, I must meet with the guard. Where is he?"

"Sure, I'll show you. Follow me." She walked passed him and down the hallway opposite of the steam. Inoichi wasn't sure if her cooperation was something to be wary of but with him observing her, he realized that she wasn't clothed.

"E-Excuse me, could you please….?"

"Huh?"

"Some clothes. Could you please put on some clothes?" He begged with a blush.

The woman looked down and noticed her predicament but did not seem deterred or bothered in the least. Instead, she shrugged as if it were nothing new and snapped her fingers to produce a simple shirt and pants. She changed the style of her hair, from two long pigtails, to one long side braid. Turning to one of the doors, she checked her reflection, flirtatiously squinting her blue eyes and pouting her lips; the whole ritual reminded him of Ino. She gestured for him to follow and quietly he followed behind the woman, watching for any suspicious movements. The hallway wasn't as long as it had appeared which confused Inoichi a little. They arrived at the end of the hallway, which was a large, almost never-ending white space that occupied nothing but a sandbox, a swing, and a little boy playing in the sandbox.

"Hey Squirt, we got us a visitor!"

The little boy, that honestly looked no older than six, looked up at Inoichi and the woman. He scrunched his face in disapproval. "Mama, is he a bad guy?"

"Mama?! You're his mom?!"

The woman pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes in agitation. "Hush, my nickname's Mama, I'm not the squirt's mom. That's Squirt, by the way, the guard."

"H-He's…the guard?" Nothing made any sense in this mind! Inoichi was ready to call it quits but he was still nowhere near getting the information that he wanted. "Squirt, was it? If you are the guard, then I am in need of your assistance."

The little boy by the name of Squirt furrowed his tiny eyebrows for whatever reason and palmed a handful of sand. "Can you play with me? If you play with me, I can help."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have that kind of time. I need to find a certain memory."

Squirt's frown deepened. "But you don't belong here. If you're a nice guy, then you need to play with me."

Inoichi weighed his options: A. Play with the kid, or B. Forget all of this and find the answers your own way…

With a heavy sigh, Inoichi chose A; if he went about in unfamiliar territory, especially as unfamiliar as this structure, then he would never find what he was looking for. He gently sat himself across Squirt upon the sand, feeling the warmness seep through his clothing and envelop him in a comfortable atmosphere. Inoichi started with a little pale bucket and scooped the sand to start his sand castle. Squirt did the same and the two quietly went about, playing in the sand.

Inoichi observed the young boy and noted his untamed hair, wild and blonde like the owner of this mind, his large cerulean eyes, his naturally-tanned skin, and his parallel scars across his cheeks. Although he didn't want to admit it out loud, the little Tetsu was a precious child, beautiful even. There was this angelic air to him that made his innocence stand out. It was a shame this poor child became tainted by the outside world and morphed into the cynical being that he is today.

"Squirt? Can you help me?" Inoichi asked softly.

"Okay, what do you need help with?"

"Tetsu has a recent memory that might have gotten him in trouble. But he says he didn't do it, so I need to check the memory and see if he's really telling the truth."

"What memory?"

"A very recent one, it has a young boy in it, by the name of Konohamaru. There was also another man by the name of Ebisu."

Squirt closed his eyes while still moving his hands over the sand. When he reopened them, the white space around us was changed into a mountain terrain with the sound of huffing and puffing. Inoichi felt as if he were suddenly watching a large and close-up film.

_"'Jeez, why the hell did I decide to do this?! Stupid mountain is too damn tall!'"_

_ Tetsu climbed the rocky cliff, huffing as he rose higher and higher. His hand were reddened and swollen from the harsh heat beating down on him and the rocks digging into his skin. Luckily, he could see the top really close, it was just a few more steps and he was going to get there, get to the top. His muscles ached, his head hurt, his eyes were blinking much too rapidly for his liking, and he was just tired! But five more moves, now four—take a deep breath, take another one, calm yourself—three more moves—another breath—two more, one left to go, now pull yourself up! The sunset that awaited at the top of this stupid fuckin' mountain was worth the whole damn thing. It was breathtaking, it was special, it was normal._

The memory finished and the space turned white again. Squirt was still fiddling with the sand as if nothing happened.

"Squirt, that was beautiful, but the memory I'm talking about happened about yesterday morning. It involved a brown-haired young boy."

Squirt tried again and closed his eyes. The white space changed into what appeared to be a clothing store.

_Tetsu was standing in front of a full length mirror admiring the beautiful and expensive kimono draped over his body. The color was a powerful blue that almost equaled the shade of his eyes. It was easy to see his reflection and believe that he was attractive, that he was seductive, that he was wanted-material. Thoughts of sex filled his mind to the brim and it made him shiver in excitement. Yes, this outfit would get him exactly what he wanted—_

"No! Squirt, this isn't what I'm referring to. I'm talking about—"

"I know," Squirt mumbled. It was much too quick for Inoichi to be sure about, but he believed he saw Squirt look over his shoulder. Was Mama saying something to him? "I don't have that memory."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't have that memory. I don't have it." He shifted his eyes back down at the sand, fiddling with the pale and shovel.

"That's impossible, Tetsu couldn't have forgotten, you would have made sure of that. Did you lose the memory?" Inoichi began feeling uneasy.

Squirt clutched the pale even tighter and puffed his cheeks like any six year old would do when caught lying. "I said I don't have it. I didn't lose it, I just don't have it. It's not with me."

"…Not with you?" Inoichi echoed. The phrase kept repeating in his own mind until unexpectedly, something clicked. "Mama…?"

"Hm?"

Inoichi slowly turned to see Mama leaning against the entrance with a bored expression. "Why did I appear in the middle of the hallway when I entered?"

"How the hell should I know? Maybe you aimed wrong."

That wasn't right. Inoichi knew, from years of experience, that when entering a person's mind, you always appeared before the guard of the memories. It didn't strike him at first as questionable since Tetsu had a completely different structure than most people, but now certain things were beginning to add up.

"And why doesn't Squirt have any of the right memories?"

"Hmm, maybe he's not such a good guard."

"Or he's not the real one!" Inoichi shot up from his sitting position and threw his kunai knife from earlier towards Mama. The knife was quick and hit Mama directly in the head. As her body fell to the ground in a bloody heap, Inoichi willed himself to turn towards Squirt. The little boy was seething, breathing harshly with dark red eyes and saliva leaking out through the corners of his mouth. The image terrified him.

Without a second thought, Inoichi ran towards the exit, back towards the heat-infested hallway. A piercing roar could be heard behind him, but Inoichi was both too scared and too focused to turn around. He begged his body to go beyond any limits he might have had and reach the other end of the hallway, ignoring the heavy presence that was in hot pursuit of him. Inoichi could see the steam that he saw earlier and ran even faster to get through it, but as he predicted, this hallway wasn't the usual. There existed nothing but a dead-end behind all of that steam. _I knew it! But if this is a dead-end then that means this is only one half of the hallway. Half a hallway means…half the mental space._ Inoichi remembered Squirt and his unwillingness to share any memories that he asked for. _"'It's not with me.'"_ The memory _isn't_ with him because he doesn't have it…

"Of course!" He had to dispel the jutsu before that roaring demonic creature (probably Squirt's true form) caught up to him. As he returned to his original body, he gasped and flailed wildly against Sasuke, who tried to calm him down and restrain him.

"Inoichi-san, calm down! What's wrong?!" The Third demanded.

"IT'S A SHADOW CLONE!"


	7. All a Maze

Hola Folks!

My dogs Lollifer 'Lolly' Pookie Correnti and Lillian 'Lilly' Pookster Correnti are currently giving me feedback about my fanfiction and told me to tell you guys _hello_ and _thanks for reading!_ Haha, yes, these beasts are monopolizing my bed as we speak, but they're my babies ^_^

The first song of the shuffle is…*DRUM ROLL*…MS MR- Hurricane. If you have not heard of this bittersweet melody, get your ass a youtubez account and find it! It's really an awesome song and if you listen to the lyrics, you'll find that anybody can easily relate to it (unless you're Mother Theresa, then in that case…).

So, back to the story, Inoichi does a mental search—BODY SNATCHER STYLE!—and makes a wild discovery! If it's a shadow clone, then where's the real Tetsu?! Well, if you wanna find out, you know the drill ;)

P.S. If you guys want to ask any questions, maybe I can answer them next chapter either in the beginning or the end? It's up to you, I aim to please and eat, my only goals in life =P

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

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_"Inoichi-san, calm down! What's wrong?!" The Third demanded._

_ "IT'S A SHADOW CLONE!"_

"What?!" shouted the Third. Sasuke and Kakashi were both standing in utter shock with widened eyes and slacked jaws. However, in immediate action, Kakashi summoned his nin-dogs while Sasuke activated his Sharigan, ready to attack.

The nin-dogs didn't even need to be given an order to attack; they launched forward to latch onto Tetsu, but before they could even get the chance, the cloned Tetsu winked and willed himself gone. "Quickly, use what little scent you've attained and find him!" Kakashi shouted. The nin-dogs instantly moved about.

_How could this have happened? How did we not notice?_ Sasuke wondered. Using his eyes, he scanned around the room to see if he could find any abnormalities but found none. None of it made any sense! There was no way for Tetsu to escape from a guarded cell without catching any attention or being caught…unless…

Suddenly, Sasuke raced out of the room and to the sign-in desk where he signed his and the Third's name earlier. _Isiki-san!_ There was no sign of the man until Sasuke felt a presence hidden behind a nearby broom closet. Sasuke wasted no time in tearing the door open and he found the real Ishiki curled on the ground with his legs and arms bound together and a gag over his mouth. With speed and accuracy, Sasuke set the man free from the bindings and helped him up from the floor.

"Are you alright?"

"No, I mean yes, I mean I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have…I don't know what happened—"

"Ishiki-san, forget about all of that, just tell me what you remember happening last."

"R-Right, I was at the desk and the new guy—the one you were interrogating earlier—was shouting and saying all sorts of things. I kept telling him to shut up or I was going to call the ANBU but he wouldn't shut up. Then this woman came down the hall asking if she could see him—"

"To see Tetsu? Have you ever seen this woman before?"

"No, definitely not. She was too beautiful; if I did see her before, I would have remembered."

"Then what happened?"

"I told her no a couple times, especially since she didn't have ID, but then she kept…flirting with me…distracting me. Next thing I know, I'm passed out and woke up on the ground here until you found me."

"What did she look like?"

"Young, tall, maybe about 5"8' or 5"9', tan, long blonde hair in pigtails, and blue eyes."

"Okay," _Even the lower ranks had good enough eyes for detail._ "Go on and tell Inoichi-san and Kakashi-san; I'll go out and look for anyone with that description."

"Y-Yes," Ishiki said shakily. He hurried off to the cell while Sasuke wasted no time in running outside. He was determined in ending this little game…

_**Earlier- Before and After the Tetsu clone popped**_

Posed as the guy that was stationed at the front desk gave Tetsu a lot of leverage in moving freely about the village. He took note of how it differed from the many villages he's visited in the past, like the fashion sense, the merchandise sold from the stands, the smell of the delicacies, and the chatter that circulated around him. A part of him wanted to feel disgusted at the happy atmosphere since it wasn't an environment he was use to seeing, but another part of him, a part of him that he's rarely noticed, appreciated the freshness. He couldn't help but be enamored by the children's laughter that rung nearby. This was entirely too different from when he was a child.

And just like that, the confusing emotions disappeared when Tetsu felt that his plan had been discovered. _Shit! They've already caught on!_ He collected the clone's memory and saw how the blonde-haired guy figured out he was a shadow clone. If he's assuming correctly, then that masked guy and the silver-haired guy are going to be out looking for him, so it was now or never to escape! Tetsu made his way through the crowds but just as he was about to make it through the other side, he was yanked back with force. For a split moment, Tetsu was scared enough to believe he was already caught.

"Geez, I've been calling you like crazy, Ishiki-san!"

Tetsu—or Ishiki-san—turned around to see who was speaking, but could only see the top of something bright pink. While blinking speculatively, he looked down to see two wide teal orbs staring right at him. It was a woman with bright—_very bright_—pink hair. "Um…?"

"I was calling you several times and you didn't answer me. That's pretty rude, you know."

"Ah, I'm sorry, it's just been a little…crazy at the holding cells and I was distracted. What did you need me for?" _Shit Shit Shit! This was really bad, he knew the bare minimum about this guy he was posing as, but he didn't know shit about this chick! What if she notices that he doesn't say her name? Or that he can't answer certain things?! SHIT!_

"Oh, I just wanted to ask if you were going to stop by to see your brother today? Otherwise I'll just have one of the nurses take him to therapy later."

_Brother + nurses + therapy = brother at the hospital, possibly in a coma or physically traumatized._ _That can be useful information._ "Actually, there's this new…inmate at the cells, and he's causing a bit of a problem. I might be covering a little overtime."

"Really? Who is he?"

"Some prostitute found outside the village, but he's been causing some trouble for some reason. That's all I know."

The pink-haired woman pursed her lips in thought but then nodded to herself. "Okay then, then I'll see you around. If you do manage to stop by anyway, just send a heads up."

"Of course, thanks a lot…," Tetsu paused, unsure of what to call her. He blushed in both fear and embarrassment. The woman noticed his hesitation and arched an eyebrow, confused as to why he seemed so conflicted. Then, as if a light sparked within her head, she began giggling. "W-What's wrong?"

"You! There's no need to be polite, I'm not married to him yet. You're still allowed to call me Saukra."

"I couldn't…_He_, I'm sure, wouldn't approve of a man calling his future wife by her name." _Thank God…_

"Pssh, Sasuke doesn't worry about such trivial things. Oh! I gotta go—like I said, you can call me Sakura. Bye, Ishiki-san!" She ran away through the crowd, hurrying to whatever destination.

Tetsu took the moment to watch her disappear and thought of how cute she looked. The hair color was odd, but given that her name was Sakura, it actually kind of suited her. Too bad she was going to get married; she would have looked splendid covered in sweat and semen. Yet, for some reason, the idea didn't excite him as much as he thought it would. Nevertheless, Tetsu had to get going or escape out of this village was going to be slim. _It's probably better to change this disguise into something less suspicious but could get him out of the village._ The first image that popped into his head made him want to laugh, but it was doable. Tetsu slid himself in a secluded alleyway and immediately transformed into a tall figure with black clothing and sunglasses. _This will have to do_.

"Ebisu" quickly ran down the alley and made his way north of the village where the large gates were located. He wasted no time in dillydallying like before and managed to get far enough where it was just a matter of minutes before he was scot-free! And like all the luck in the world, at that very moment, a nin-dog came springing out from the roof tops, scouring the whole area. The two locked eyes even though "Ebisu's" couldn't be seen.

The dog was a small pug with brown fur and droopy dark eyes and he wore a blue shirt and headband. "E…bisu?" The dog started. He trailed off and confusedly looked at "Ebisu" with a tilt of his round, puggish-like face. The mental gears could be seen turning within the little pooch's mind and despite the small physique, the dog was capable of releasing a loud, cautionary growl. "You're not Ebisu!"

"What are you saying? Of course it's me!" Tetsu knew it was a stupid gamble, but it was worth a shot.

The dog issued another growl, but louder and grittier than before. "Sakura already gave you up as the imposter."

_Damn bitch, but then again, stupid me._ "And how do you know Sakura wasn't the imposter…?"

"It was her scent, no doubt," the dog stated proudly.

"Oh sure, no one's _ever_ been able to find a loophole in that plan! Who could ever be smart enough to fool a talking mutt?" Suddenly, Tetsu could hear two distinct growls resounding behind him. There were two other nin-dogs that arrived.

"Want to say that again?" The brown dog with sunglasses said. The second dog was a light beige and markings on his forehead.

Tetsu could see that he was cornered and no doubt, more nin-dogs were coming as well as their master and reinforcements. "Damn it, what is _wrong_ with this village?! I just want to leave!"

"We can't let you do that," said the pug.

Tetsu dispelled his transformation and revealed his true form, no longer caring about the pretenses. He narrowed his eyes at all three dogs and took his stance in defense. "That's a shame," he snarled. "Because I really didn't want to kill you lot."

All three dogs howled at the threat and they too took a stance in case they needed to pounce. "Stand down!" The pug shouted at Tetsu.

Slowly, Tetsu raised both hands and placed them together before his face. Thos dogs shouted their warnings but he paid no heed. Instead, he allowed them to watch as he formed his fingers into a seal and enacted his most favorite jutsu, Shadow Clone jutsu. The exact numbers weren't known, but there were a lot of Tetsus' suddenly occupying the area.

"Pakkun!" a voice shouted. Kakashi arrived with Sasuke at his side, overwhelmed by the staggering numbers of cloned Tetsus'. The rest of the nin-dogs arrived and assisted the original three in destroying the clones. With each pop of a clone, steam would arise and block the view of the entire area. "Pakkun, where are you?"

"I'm right here, Kakashi," it was the pug that answered.

"Don't lose him, no matter what!"

"There he is!" Sasuke called out as he pointed straight ahead of him. His Sharigan was activated and he could sense the unfamiliar chakra moving away from them. All three, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Pakkun, moved forward to chase after Tetsu while the rest of the nin-dogs disposed of the remaining clones. However, Sasuke noticed the figure running away from them wasn't shaped like the blonde-haired man, but like…a dog? The four-legged fiend headed for the gates with the speed that was easily comparable to light. Sasuke pulled out a kunai knife from his sack and with hands of a perfectionist, he wrapped an explosive tag perfectly around it.

"What are you doing?! That'll cause too much damage!" Pakkun yelled.

Sasuke ignored him and continued to latch, not one, but three explosive tags onto the knife. "He's transformed into a dog. We have to get the guards to close the gates before he escapes and this will slow him down." Sasuke then threw the kunai knife ahead of him but towards the side so they would be hit by the impact. The knife missed hitting Tetsu but within seconds, the paper bomb exploded.

_BOOM!_

The explosion itself wasn't dangerous, but the fire, burning wood, and building smoke wasn't a reassurance. Tetsu, in defense, created more clones of himself to absorb any impact of the explosion, yet he couldn't stop the small inhalation of the smoke that made his eyes water and lungs feel as if they were dipped in water. With his four legs, he pushed himself to try and run harder but breathing was quickly becoming a difficult task. _Don't stop, keep going!_ He waivered a bit as he ran, but Tetsu was determined to not fall down and get caught; he wanted to be free.

"Sasuke, he's slowed down. I think we can get to him," Kakashi said.

Tetsu was panting and on the verge of passing out but he wasn't completely out of it; he still had one trick up his sleeve. Another wave of smoke appeared before him but it vanished instantaneously to reveal a tall, tan, blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman. The woman looked down at Tetsu with a curious expression. She crouched down and placed a warming hand on top of Tetsu's head. "Don't give up, Tetsu-sama. I'll take care of the rest. Get up and escape while I distract them."

Although weary, Tetsu eyed his female form and felt comforted by her warm icy stare, even though they were his eyes. The woman stood up and made her way opposite of where Tetsu was running, straight for Kakashi and Sasuke. His legs were weak, his vision was blurred, his throat was dry and burning, and overall, he felt like he wanted to sleep for days. But despite all of that, Tetsu overlooked his pain and pushed himself to run, to run, _to run_. Kakashi and Sasuke saw the woman—Sasuke suspecting it was the one Ishiki-san described earlier—and halted in their pursuit as she took a demeanor of battle. This clone wasn't like the other ones; there was something very different about her.

"Step aside or you'll be taken down," Sasuke ordered.

"Wouldn't be the first time for two men to take me down," she said with a playful wink. "So how about it, boys? Wanna play?"

~*NUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNU*~

**Oh my goodness, I have no idea why this chapter was so painful to get out! Maybe I'm still in celebratory mode and didn't feel like it =P (BTW I graduated college this passing Wednesday, so I'm mentally high right now). Anyway, hope it wasn't too bad and if you deem that it was, I promise to up the quality from now on =/.**


	8. Should Have Listened

Hola Folks!

Hope you guys are doing well! I've been trying to get inspiration by reading some manga and watching some of my favorite shows like House; I've always been enamored by the 'broken' characters that make such a significance on the show/series, yet they feel as if their existence isn't worth much.

Anyway, the first song of the shuffle is The Civil Wars- Disarm. This song is a cover of the original, created and sung by the band Smashing Pumpkins. I personally find Civil Wars' version better because it legitimately sounds like they're hurting while they're singing, but this is not to demean or bash the Smashing Pumpkins' version; both are good and the lyrics are awesome no matter what, so please give it a listen =]

Hope you guys are enjoying the storyline so far. If there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask! As for now, Tetsu is in the midst of escaping while Mama has come back to distract the offense; will he succeed or will he be captured? **WARNING:** There is minor character death in this chapter, so beware…

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

*~NUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNU~*

"_Wouldn't be the first time for two men to take me down," she said with a playful wink. "So how about it, boys? Wanna play?"_

"He's getting away!" Pakkun screamed.

"I'll get him," Kakashi declared. He separated himself away from Sasuke's side to run ahead. "You handle her."

However, when Kakashi made to move, a large object flew his way and blocked his chance of advancing. Luckily, he managed to dodge but the last second maneuver caused for his leg to twist in an unfavorable manner. Kakashi was experienced enough to ignore the ache, but he knew that whenever he'd get a chance to get it looked at, it was going to result in 'bed-rest'. Taking a closer inspection of what it was that almost hit him, it was a long, moving yellow spear—blonde, to be more precise. The spear retracted itself from the hole it created on the ground and returned back to its original state on the woman's head as her pigtail. The woman smiled at Kakashi's semi-shocked expression.

"Come now, Mr. Handsome, don't abandon the game just yet. I want to play with you both."

"I'm not in the mood for games," Kakashi replied.

"Too bad, because I'm not going anywhere until Tetsu gets out of here. Guess you're going to _have_ to play."

Sasuke was fed up of this pointless chatter and despite the percentage of chakra used for his Sharigan, he still created a couple of his own shadow clones. _Two can play at this game_. The clones moved of their own accord to fetch the escaping dog that was closing in on the open gates.

"**CLOSE THE GATES!**" One of the clones screamed.

Angered that they wouldn't fight her, Mama elongated her pigtails to dispose of the two clones. The clone that shouted the order to close the gates had somehow advanced too fast for her to catch, but she managed to catch the second one by the ankle and slam him violently back down to the ground. Using this as a window of opportunity, Kakashi charged at Mama with a Chidori already charged, piercing right through the evaporating smoke to aim at her chest. The two had fallen over and Kakashi landed on top of her with his hand jabbed through. However, when Kakashi looked down, he noticed he had not killed Mama with his Chidori because she blocked the attack with her hair.

"What the hell are you?" He asked breathlessly.

Mama smirked as she gazed up at him. "You definitely look handsome from this angle. Too bad you're going to have to die." As she spoke those words, her hair expanded and wrapped itself around Kakashi's body like a snake killing its prey.

"Guh!" Kakashi couldn't breathe; the hair felt like steel wires constricting his air passages. He wanted to curse her to hell but he couldn't even speak.

Mama was enjoying the struggles of Mr. Handsome but her fun was soon to end when she looked up and saw Sasuke coming straight down at them. To avoid being hit, Mama flipped over so she was now on top of Kakashi, but her hair being tied around him kept them stuck together. Sasuke was disappointed that he hadn't hit her but he now had leverage since she was tangled. He began forming seals that had looked all too familiar to Mama.

"Wait a damn second, you'll burn him too!"

Sasuke paused. "He's lived long enough."

"Tsk!" Mama released her hair and cast Kakashi aside so she could escape from Sasuke's range. Kakashi, without regards to his breathing problems just a matter of seconds ago, quickly recuperated and nabbed Mama by the wrists so he could pin them behind her and hold a kunai to her throat.

"You look good from this angle," Kakashi joked. Mama wasn't amused. Kakashi looked up at Sasuke and frowned at him. "You were a little too convincing there."

"I wasn't bluffing…"

Meanwhile, Sasuke's clone was catching up to the Tetsu-dog while the guards, who heard the demand earlier, were pulling the large chords to close the gates. Tetsu didn't care about his limitations, he continued running with the hopes that he was going to make it. Be that as it may, he still worried on the off chance that he _wasn't_ going to make it; what was he to do then? None of the clones worked since they were too easy to maneuver against and Mama was too busy handling the other two. Tetsu's problem now wasn't just a race against time with the gates but that stupid shadow clone chasing after him. Yet, Tetsu wondered why he was making himself worried; he thought he had just one last trick up his sleeve but that was a lie. He couldn't do the fighting himself since that wasn't strategically smart so he was only left with a few options. Tetsu wondered how he could pull this off without wasting anytime or messing up.

_Give me your legs and use your mind_

_Summon the child for the fight_

_Release yourself from this bind_

_Thus, he will strike back and bite_

With a deep breath, Tetsu released control of his conscience and gave the reigns over. His notorious blue eyes transformed into a blood-lusty red, his teeth became into refined daggers, and the nails of his paws flourished into thick, sharp weapons that dug deep into the soil beneath him. He began running much faster than before, something that the cloned Sasuke picked up on with his Sharigan. Tetsu being in the back of the control at the moment, managed to do as instructed and summon Squirt. Considering the heightened speed that Tetsu was running at, Squirt wasn't summoned in the most graceful of manners. He appeared in the middle of the pathway and rolled about until he landed on his back. The young child—who thankfully wasn't hurt—was very baffled by his environment and had no inkling of what was going on.

"_**Delay that clone!**_" Tetsu shouted as he ran ahead. Although, Squirt could tell that it wasn't really Tetsu giving the orders.

"Y-Yes, Sir!" Squirt turned to face the enemy, who was rapidly approaching him at a hasty speed. Without wasting a precious moment, Squirt transformed himself as well for an attack. His already tan skin began turning a couple shades darker while his eyes and teeth resembled very closely to that of what Tetsu looked like now.

The cloned Sasuke halted completely upon seeing the demonic-looking child; he exuded a horrendous aura of hatred from his tiny body that scorched Sasuke deep under skin. _Just what the hell….?!_ Squirt launched himself at Sasuke to claw at his chest but Sasuke blocked the attack, giving him time to swing a punch of his own. Surprisingly, the punch hit him square on the nose and threw him off a couple feet away from Sasuke. The kid wasn't discouraged, however, and got up again to attack. This time, he aimed for Sasuke's legs and latched his teeth onto Sasuke's flesh

"Shit!" Sasuke growled. Squirt had no means of letting go despite Sasuke pelting him with hard-covered punches and simply held on for dear life. "Let go!"

On spur of the moment, the real Sasuke suddenly came forth and heaved a kick right at Squirt's head. The pain was too much for the child to bear and his jaw loosened their grip on clone-Sasuke's leg. As he fell, Sasuke dispersed his clone and ran past Squirt so he could focus on Tetsu. A pained squeal reverberated behind him but Sasuke was sure that the kid wasn't following him. Sasuke sifted through his clone's memories and stored the little knowledge he could gather into his own memory. _So the woman has smarts but not the strength, whereas the kid only has strength but no brains. Whatever they are, those aren't normal clones by any standard._ Sasuke picked up his pace as he noticed Tetsu running at an impossible speed to the gates, but luckily, they were a few inches from closing.

_Barriers are for keeping out_

_But they try to keep us in_

_I will spread my power all throughout_

_And devour all the souls within_

NO! That won't help by any means!

_YOUR way has been tried!_

_And so you have failed!_

_You are no child I will chide_

_It is either us or them to be impaled_

Tetsu disagreed wholeheartedly, but he wasn't in control of his motions at the moment. He could see through his rustic eyes how close they were to freedom, but there were already two guards blocking the way. "_**MOVE!**_"

Both guards held up weapons for defense. "Stay back!" One shouted.

Tetsu growled venomously as he placed himself within range, and without a single ounce of mercy, he fastened his canines into the throat of the older-looking man with a cloth tied over his nose and instantly yanked his head back to rip the flesh apart.

"KOTETSU!" But it didn't matter. Kotetsu was dead within seconds. Before Izumo, the second guard, could even finish screaming, Tetsu had managed to forcibly squeeze himself through the minor gap between the gates before it closed completely.

Sasuke appeared instantaneously with little oxygen passing through his airways, but it was unfortunately, not soon enough. "D-Damn it," he whispered under his breath. Kotetsu's blood had seeped into the ground.

"He's…dead," Izumo moaned. Despite the rules of shinobi: _A shinobi was never reveal his tears; they are a sign of weakness_, Izumo couldn't help but shed some tears in loss for his best friend.

Before Sasuke could think or say anything in response, a piercing, devilish laugh resounded about. Sasuke and Izumo looked back where Kakashi was still holding the woman down. The terrifying thing was that she was several yards away, but her voice sounded crystal clear, almost as if she were standing right there next to them.

"What are you laughing at?!" Kakashi snapped.

Mama turned her head to the side to get a better look, but she still couldn't see Kakashi. "Oh nothing, just realizing how pathetic you all are. Tetsu-sama and the Lord needn't have shed that man's blood had you heeded their warning. It alllll your faullllt!" She said in a sing-song voice.

"How dare you—"

"It's a pity Mr. Handsome, things could have been so much better had you listened. Well, good bye."

"Hey!"

"HEY SQUIRT, TIME TO GO!" She shouted. Squirt was still laying on the ground clutching his head, but he responded to Mama's voice and poofed himself away the same as Mama. Kakashi could still feel the warmth on his hands even after minutes of her vanishing.

~*NUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNU*~

**Sorry that this is such a short chapter! I wanted to DBZ-atize this chapter by stretching out something that might have really been five minutes but making it more like ten (xD lol). No that that's over, I'll keep the future chapters as consistent in length as possible =] Hope you enjoy, please rate and review!**


	9. A Monster and Sinner

Hola Folks!

Hope all is well and good =] I just want to say thanks so much for the reviews so far, they mean a lot!

The first song of the shuffle is a badass song, I love it to death! It's a perfect mix of Rock N' Roll and preacher-ish type music (idk); the song is Love Runs Out by OneRepublic. Give it a listen, you won't regret it, I promise.

In other news, I just want to give a little itty-bitty warning about this chapter =P: I typically outline how things are going to go and make necessary changes when it comes down to typing it., with that being said, I don't know what the hell happened but this chapter went into some crazy-ass direction (lmao) but I like it so I hope you like it too!

**WARNING:** 98% of this chapter is **sex**. Both Hetero and Homo…

P.S. I hope this is acceptable, please tell me what you think

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

*~NUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNU~*

_Kakashi could still feel the warmth on his hands even after minutes of her vanishing._

_Pant…Pant…Pant…_

_Thump…Thump…Thump…_

There wasn't a thought to any action, just automatic running and breathing; every exhale was a foot on the ground, every inhale was a foot in the air. The world was quiet. Tetsu's mind was too quiet in response.

_He was only human_

_Worse consequences were looming_

But it was worse killing him! Now a whole society will be cursing us with death.

_And it matters to you how?!_

_There is much I can tolerate_

_But your benevolence is what I'll disallow_

Not benevolence, just…other options. I—I can still _feel_ his skin on my teeth and taste his blood. I can still feel how easy it was to crush his throat. These are not things I want to get use to.

_We are monsters, Tetsu_

_Matters we've already discussed_

_Matters we have already been through_

_You are what I am, nothing equated to disgust_

Monsters. The term suited Tetsu quite accurately, something he accepted a long time ago, but that didn't mean he _liked_ it any better. A part of him still believed that killing that man wasn't the smartest decision. Unfortunately, his thoughts were heard and a loud shrieking growl was Tetsu's response. The mental arguing began giving him a headache so he kept his thoughts quiet for the moment. They had ran a few minutes more before Tetsu pulled to the side—into some bushes—and returned into his original form. Any cuts or bruises he received from the battles were immediately handled. Being able to catch his breath, Tetsu closed his eyes and focused hard enough to reawaken in the depths of his mind, The Cage. Mama and Squirt were already waiting for him, sitting together on the ground. The both of them were fleshly exposed before him, savoring the casual feel of their skin. Tetsu didn't have to look down to know he too was naked since he felt much lighter than before. Right behind them was the enormous, infamous cage that harbored the equally infamous beast.

"We don't have a lot of time," Mama said.

_The fool wishes to talk_

"And if I do? Look, I just want to make it clear that we're going to be hunted for a while. We have to be on guard and we're going to have to keep the chakra at low levels until this brushes over."

"But we were there for a while, do you think…?" Mama trailed off.

Tetsu sighed in frustration. "I don't know. It's 50-50 by this point. I'm just hoping that's not the case. Killing that guy may have made things worse; the Leaf Village will put in a word all around, making it easier to find us."

_What had to be done was done_

"BLOOD isn't the only option!"

A loud roar rattled the bars of the cage violently enough to cause Squirt to whimper. "ENOUGH!" Mama screamed. She faced Tetsu and reached to clasp his hands in hers. "Tetsu-sama, sometimes, it isn't about the options, but about whether we have the time or not. Of course we had the option to not kill that man, but we didn't have that kind of time. Your safety is the utmost importance, no matter what. You, better than anyone else, knows that we couldn't have stayed captured there. Kurama-sama was just trying to protect you."

Tetsu's icy eyes softened as he looked down to peer at his feminine duplicates. "I know. I know and I'm sorry. I am."

"You are forgiven."

Tetsu slowly circled his arms around Mama, pulling her closer to him to feel her full nakedness against his. He was captivated by the softness of her skin, by her scent that resembled so closely to his, yet differed in their own ways, by the darkening of her irises, by the quiet gasp that escaped from her lips. The two were so entirely lost in their own world that the sound of Squirt's whimpering startled them.

"May I leave to play?"

"Y-Yes! Sorry about that, go on Squirt, you can go on and play," Tetsu urged.

Squirt smiled and waved goodbye to the two as he raced out of The Cage to play whatever it was he was so desperate to play. Tetsu, being distracted by the small interruption, nearly shouted in ecstasy upon feeling Mama's soft palm pumping his hardening member; he panted onto her face and she reveled in the whole scene.

_How disgusting_

"Jealous?" Tetsu gasped as Mama sunk lower.

_I am essentially a god_

_Why would I envy a human?_

_The timing of this act is odd_

_In fact, very stupid_

"He's right, we don't have time," Mama said before grabbing the member to direct it towards her mouth.

"Ah, I, I haven't had sex in a while. The least I can deserve is a blow job."

Mama grinned at Tetsu's change of demeanor from his harsh attitude earlier. She lacked hesitation when sucking on Tetsu's cock—hard—and there wasn't any worry of pain since this was his mind (anything went!). She flicked her tongue across the pierced slit, enjoying the grunts and gasps emitting from the handsome man.

"You know, you would enjoy this much more, Tetsu-sama if you brought in another party…?"

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a sec. Fuck!" Tetsu closed his eyes and tried to envision the perfect person for the task.

Another set of arms wrapped themselves around Tetsu, pulling him back tightly against a hard chest. Mama couldn't help but stop her ministrations to giggle at the new arrival. "You're infatuated with him, aren't you?" The new clone was a replica of the red-streaked masked man.

"I don't know what he looks like, but he sounds hot. Now, shut up and get to it; we don't have time."

Mama resumed her duties while the masked clone placed Tetsu in a full-nelson. The fortunate part of this whole experience was that Tetsu didn't need to worry about preparation or safety-words; he was allowed to be plunged or be the plungee, feeling nothing but pleasure out of it. The clone did just that and delved his (presumably large) cock inside of Tetsu with force. Tetsu imagined the real thing to be greedy, aggressive, almost angry-like in his motions and those thoughts easily transferred into the clone. Mama had no trouble keeping up with the rough pounding, in fact, she made no complaints to slow down or stop.

Tetsu was in heaven. Never could he tire of such pleasurable things in his life. He tried to remind himself that there were other worries going on in the outside world—he is being sought after, after all—but it was extremely difficult to do when his body sang in tune to such intense rhythms. The clone thrusted into him with so much force that Tetsu imagined that in reality, he'd be bleeding. The sound of their skin smacking together only spurred on the most wanton of moans. Yes, he was a monster, but first and before all else, he was a hot-blooded, lustful sinner. In an abrupt manner, Mama stopped her magical mouth, leaving Tetsu wide-eyed and confused as all hell.

"What's wrong?" He rumbled. He was not shameless enough to yank her back.

"Nothing, just changing the position," she purred. Mama laid herself on the ground, exposing her nudity for all to see, and spread her legs wide open. Tetsu had to swallow to keep himself calm.

With the clone still attached to him, Tetsu lowered himself onto his hands and knees, basking in the bliss that the clone was giving him, and hovered over Mama. He tried to direct himself but Mama was always one step ahead and did the work for him. It almost felt as if it was eternity, but finally, he was sheathed inside the boiling heat of Mama. She moaned in unison with Tetsu as his length stretched her inner walls, but was given no time to recover. The clone upped his pace, rocking into both Tetsu and Mama.

"God…Fuck, oh my god, oh my god!" Tetsu groaned. He put his head on Mama's shoulder, licking the sweat that had accumulated there, all the while thrusting back to meet the clone's hard pace. The moans only grew louder as the pleasure thinned into sharp bursts that threatened to throw everybody over the edge.

Mama took hold of Tetsu's head and clutched his matted hair tightly between her fingers. "That's right, Tetsu, you're such a good boy," she whispered into his ear. Tetsu couldn't form any words, he didn't want to; he just wanted to be where he was right now and be this flustered bitch that begged for pleasurable mercy.

However, he _had_ to say something, not because he wanted any of this to end, but because he desperately wanted to feel the high he always got from this. He wanted to see non-existing colors and have all of his senses fail him at once, only to come crashing down all together. "Ma-Mama," he begged. "_Please_, I—"

"Ssh, I know. Just feel it." Mama's beautiful soothing hands trailed down Tetsu's back, scratching along the way, and stopped once they reached his two orbs of an ass. Despite her hands being thin and smaller than Tetsu's, she still managed to grasp both plump pieces of flesh and mold them to her will. While looking at the clone, she spread the cheeks apart—earning a very, _very_ loud moan of appreciation—and licked Tetsu's ears. "Aim a little lower. That's his favorite spot."

Tetsu felt tears brimming at the edge of his eyes and as instructed, the clone hit his spot Dead. Fucking. On. There were no words to describe the trembling gasps and high pitched yeses' that spilled from Tetsu's mouth, but then again, there were no words strong enough to describe how good this had all felt for Tetsu. It didn't take long for Tetsu to scream his completion and Mama followed right along. The clone instantly disappeared, making Tetsu miss the large appendage inside of him, but he wasn't too disappointed with his view down below. Mama was covered in sweat, her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, and Tetsu's essence leaking out of her. It was enough to make Tetsu call forth her lips for a kiss.

_Are you DONE yet?_

"Yeah," Tetsu sighed. He planted another kiss before having Mama get up and leave The Cage. There were still faint traces of pleasure tingling down his spine, so he savored the trembles it caused before he had to return to reality.

_We must go_

Tetsu took one last glance at the beast, staring right at his blood stained eyes before reawakening in the forest. Not much time had passed (although it felt like it), but he couldn't waste any more time just sitting there. Tetsu paid close attention to his surroundings, trying to listen for any unusual noise or sense for any chakra coming his way. Nothing but the sounds of birds singing and trees rustling registered into Tetsu's mind. Confirming that everything was clear, Tetsu stood up from his spot and ran.

**Back at the Leaf Village:**

The silence was deafening. Not even Tsunade knew what to say. Kakashi and Sasuke were expecting her to scream until her voice went hoarse, but when they reported to her about the catastrophe that took place, she simply went silent. The Saidame was quiet as well; he felt foolish for thinking that he could exact revenge on the person who took advantage of his grandson. Now they had a death on their hands. The silence stretched on for several minutes, that is, until Sasuke grew impatient.

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but shouldn't we be on the pursuit?"

Tsunade barely moved her head to look at Sasuke. "Please, how incompetent do you think of me? I've already sent two teams of ANBU and shinobi to hunt the sonovabitch down."

"Then forgive me again in asking, what are _we_ doing here?"

"Use your head, kid, what do you think? I've asked you all here, those that were practically involved since the beginning of this mess, to cool off and collect yourselves. This problem unnecessarily escalated onto a level it shouldn't be on, but we made it that way. Now we've stumbled upon something…big."

"What are you talking about, Tsunade?" The Third asked.

"I might be wrong…but I think we've found our missing Jinchūriki."

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**Thanks again for your reviews! Please keep them coming, I want to know what you think ^_^.**

** As for YugiKitten: I thank you for review, and I know it's cliché to say but Mama and Squirt's roles will be explained very soon, so you'll find out soon enough. Thanks for your patience =]**


	10. Honor Thy Wishes

Hola Folks!

How are you guys doing? I am so sorry for the late update but since last chapter changed courses, I now had to slightly alter how to get into the future chapters. I am pretty excited because I have come up with new ideas that you may appreciate more than what I had previously planned =].

Anywhoozies, the first song of the shuffle is Florence and the Machine- No Light No Light; I am a **HUGE** FATM fan (like a little over 30 songs in my ipod and counting), she's amazing and I love the notes that she can hit! Plus, if you've ever heard an interview from her, I always find it funny that naturally, she is soft spoken. Please give the song a listen, I think the lyrics kind of match the theme of this story a little!

For this chapter, we meet a new character and I already LOVE him! Haha, he will be showing up much more in future chapters so I hope you like him too. No Tetsu this chapter, but tell me what you think about what's going on! Enjoy, rate and review!

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

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_"I might be wrong…but I think we've found our missing __Jinchūriki."_

Tsunade looked at everyone in the room to evaluate their reaction. Had the situation not been so serious, she would have laughed at their slacked jaws and widened eyes.

"H-How did you come to that conclusion?" The Saidame asked.

"To be honest, I'm just going off on a hunch. Based on all the reports I've read so far, I just think certain things fit the criteria."

"I don't mean to be rude, Hokage-sama, but for years we've searched the surrounding lands and nations for the 9-tail host and have found no trace. As tragic as it seems, it is most likely that the host and demon are dead," interjected Kakashi.

Tsunade visibly flinched at the word death. Although she wasn't living in Konoha at the time, she remembered receiving the worst news she could ever imagine via letter. The letter was written hastily but her experienced eyes knew exactly what was written.

_Dear Tsunade,_

_I hope this letter reaches you in time and in good health. I don't know how to say this, but by the time you get this letter, there is no doubt that I have already died. As I write this letter to you, Konoha is being attacked by the red demon, the Kyuuubi. The demon has sought freedom during child labor and is now killing our brethren. But Minato has thought of a plan that will save the village in exchange for our lives. He wishes to seal the demon within our son, Naruto. Tsunade! I don't have a lot of time! Please, with all of your might, please take care of our son. Jiraya-sama is already his godfather, so I'd wish for you to be his godmother. With Minato's death, there will no longer be a Hokage—please take that position and lead the village; only you can be perceptive enough to do it. I beg of you. I love you; you__are the most amazing person. Take care –Kushina._

The letter was horribly wrinkled and stained with ink and tears. Tsunade remembered clutching the letter and soaking it even more with her own tears. She immediately raced over to Konoha to honor Kushina's wishes, but all she met was a ruined village and Jiraya telling her even worse news. Naruto, the only physical link of Minato and Kushina, was gone, missing. As if things couldn't get any worse, Kushina's pregnancy was a secret (temporarily) to the village, so despite the large-scale search, with no inkling of what he looked like or who may have taken him, he was eventually presumed as dead. Tsunade reached the lowest point of her life; no longer having her best friend around nor her son that she swore to take care of. She resorted to alcohol to cope but still kept her vow and became the new Hokage for Konoha. Had it not been for Jiraya's support, she would have died much too early in her career.

"Hokage…sama?" Kakashi pressed.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said, there is no evidence to suggest that this _man_ could be Sensei's…child."

Tsunade heavily sighed. "I didn't say this for was certain, but there could be a poss—"

"Sasuke-san, Kakashi-san, Shizune-san, could you excuse us, please? I'd like to have a word with Tsunade."

Shizune worriedly looked to her boss who was too busy glaring at the Third, but she nodded nonetheless and followed Kakashi and Sasuke out the door. Once the soft click was heard, the two powerhouses approached each other with deep frowns scarring their faces—Tsunade having to get up and walk around her desk.

"You have something to say?"

"I do not like this direction."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning, you should drop this now. This boy isn't who you think he is."

"I never said he was! I said that I _think_ he could be the container," Tsunade replied through gritted teeth.

"And I am telling you to quit that thinking now! This is not the first time you have traced this line of thinking. The village cannot afford for you to go on one of your witch hunts—_again_."

"Just what the hell is wrong with believing?! All I am trying to do is keep faith, for Kushina's sake."

"But that isn't what this is about, is it?" The Third questioned softly.

Tsunade's forehead wrinkled in confusion, trying to decipher the Third's change in tone. "What are you talking about?"

The Third coughed awkwardly to clear his throat. "Jiraya…mentioned it…he said he…you…the both of you have _tried_. You…can't conceive."

It took a full two minutes for Tsunade to process those words and let them sink in. She wasn't sure she had heard correctly since the Third was trying to speak in softer tones, but it was clear on what he had said. She felt breathless, as if those words were a cold dip into the river. "H-How…DARE YOU!" And before she could even think to stop herself, her small, methodical hand, roughened by years of battle and medicine, reached across the little space between them and slapped the Third in the face. Thankfully—although Tsunade wasn't thinking so at the time—the Third was strong enough to handle the impact; Tsunade's hits were known to crush bone and stone, so it was clear that her heart wasn't in it to hurt him.

"Tsunade—"

"Get out! **Get out!** The nerve of you!"

The Saidame said no more, although, he did feel a pang in his chest upon seeing the shaken look on Tsunade's face. He nodded and whispered a mute goodbye before stepping towards the door and walking out. Sasuke, Kakashi, and Shizune were all standing by the door but it was clear they had heard the whole conversation. The Third said nothing to either of them and turned to walk down the hallway. Shizune wasted no time in hurrying inside to check on her master while Kakashi and Sasuke remained outside—the two knew better than to peek their heads in during a delicate moment. After a few moments, Shizune returned outside and without a single word, shook her head and waved goodbye. Both Kakashi and Sasuke understood and walked in the same direction the Third had walked before to leave.

The walk was silent but then again, there was a lot to think about. Kakashi thought about Kotetsu and Izumo while Sasuke contemplated on the possibility of Tetsu being the missing child from 20 years ago.

"Do you think what she said is true?" Kakashi inquired. He sounded unenthusiastic when asking the question, but Sasuke figured that the topic wasn't a light one to ask in a cheery tone.

"I agree that there is a possibility," he replied honestly. Kakashi immediately stopped in his tracks and turned Sasuke around to look him in the eyes. Despite the mask covering nearly the entirety of his face, it was obvious that Kakashi was frowning.

"You really think…that's Sensei's son? Him?"

Sasuke sighed and was beginning to see why Tsunade became so irritable. "I'm just telling you how I see it. I am not saying he is or isn't, just that it can be possible. Now, I have to go."

"Where are you headed off to? We still need to be on standby incase we're needed."

"If Hokage-sama needs us, she'll call us again."

Sasuke didn't even wait for a response as he walked away and headed to his home. Kakashi watched as Sasuke quickly maneuvered through the people of the streets, which left him to contemplate everything that had happened so far since meeting that person. Truthfully, he didn't hate Tetsu, by the idea that he could be his former sensei's son was…appalling. The man valued nothing, he was much too secretive and elusive, he _killed_ Kotetsu, and he was a prostitute for the love of god! Okay, so perhaps the last bit was just Kakashi being picky, but there was something off-putting about Tetsu that Kakashi couldn't seem to get over. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was something and for now, that was enough for Kakashi to continue to deny that that man was in any possible way Sensei's son.

The walk to Sasuke's house wasn't a long one from the Hokage tower, but Sasuke wanted to take his time in getting there. He wasn't like Kakashi in thinking about all of the fucked up things that was wrong with this entire situation, but he couldn't deny that he was bothered by some of the stuff, primarily Kotetsu's death. If they had just taken care of the situation before it grew to what it did, then none of this would have happened. Sasuke had to wonder what the hell made him think it was okay to believe in a prostitute?

Finally, he arrived at his home but he found that the door was locked even when he remembered he had left it unlocked before he left. _Sakura must have stopped by_. It was annoying to have to fetch the keys so he just gently 'broke' the knob and entered, leaving it on the dresser stand right by the entrance door.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke repressed the urge to roll his eyes. Who the hell else could it be? "Yeah."

"Hmm…you broke another door knob."

Sasuke shouldn't have been surprised, yet he was. He walked to the right of the small corridor and into the living room where he saw his brother sitting on the couch…apparently knitting. "Itachi, what the hell are you doing?"

"Hm?" Itachi paused in his knitting to look up at Sasuke and smile but then quickly resumed as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "Clearly Sasuke, I'm knitting."

"I can see that! I mean…why? Since when?"

Itachi shrugged. "I don't know when but as for the why, it's fun. I've made myself some socks and thought I should make some for you too."

Sasuke's eyes began twitching, but even the stoic man that he was couldn't completely stop the little laugh he had brewing in his throat. "I think I'm good, thanks."

"On the contrary, my little brother, but you already turn a sickly blue when the temperature hits 65 degrees…this is best." Itachi smiled again as he saw the embarrassing blush adorn his little brother's cheeks. Sasuke held no retort against that little known fact.

Feeling a little thirsty, Sasuke made his way towards the kitchen to fetch some water and despite the jerk's earlier comment, he felt nice enough to bring him one too. "Hey, where's that idiot?"

"Sasuke," Itachi warned. "Shima didn't come because Sakura did."

"Oh?" He responded uncaringly. Sasuke felt his brother's stare on him but he chose to ignore it. "What did she want?"

"To talk about the wedding plans. She said she saw a wedding dress that is exactly to her liking."

"The wedding isn't until next year," Sasuke groaned. He _hated_ this type of stuff.

"Which isn't as much time as you think. In fact, it's very little time…"

Again, the awkward pause. Strangely enough, the water began tasting stale. "I said I'll do it," he murmured.

"Which is what worries me."

Sasuke abruptly stood from his chair and grabbed for his glass of water to take back to the kitchen. "I guess I'll be needing those socks much sooner. I'm gonna go take a shower." He left before Itachi could say anything else.

**Back to the Third Hokage:**

The Third himself arrived at his home where Konohamaru was waiting for him. The young boy held a saddened expression as he ran towards his grandfather and hugged him. "I heard what happened," he mumbled through the Third's shirt.

With a quiet sigh, the Third nodded and laced his fingers through his grandson's hair. "Yes, it was tragic indeed. We will pay a visit to Kotetsu's family tomorrow."

"Do you need anything?"

The Third was about to say 'no' when he paused to think about the all of the events that had occurred. "Konohamaru, why did you lie to Tsunade about the man?"

There was no need to turn to know that a dark blush was already blooming on Konohamaru's face. "Whaa-? I don't know what's you're talking about, I didn't lie."

"Konohamaru, why did you lie?" He asked again.

Konohamaru stuttered and blushed as his heart quickened at unhealthy speeds; he felt as if he were to be in serious trouble if he were to tell the truth. But his grandfather had already asked twice, which meant that he probably already knew either about the lying, why he was lying, or both.

"I-I don't…know, Grandpa. I just didn't want him to be in trouble."

"I see…" With that, the Third walked up the stairs to his bedroom and closed his door to disallow anyone from coming in. Konohamaru was left terrified and confused about the whole situation which now left him wondering what was going to happen next. He knew deep down, this was nowhere from over and the selfish part of him was glad—he really wanted to see Tetsu again.

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**Kuu, thank you so much for your review, I appreciate your comment and am honored you enjoy Mama's character so much =]**


	11. Naruto or Menma?

Hola Folks!

What's up?! I'm super happy I could get this chapter out quick and I really enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoy it too.

First song of the shuffle is Lucius- Go Home. I highly, _highly_ recommend watching their music video for this song because it is so cute and creative but also, the _feels_ man! Great uplifting/depressive song (depending on your mood) and I think you will also enjoy the group themselves; they are wonderful singers who hit harmonies like no other.

Last chapter we meet Itachi (YAY!) and get a little different insight than usual. *Sad face about Tsunade* Anyway, please read this chapter and tell me what you think in a review! We meet some more new people! =]

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

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_He knew deep down, this was nowhere from over and the selfish part of him was glad—he really wanted to see Tetsu again._

"Welcome, Master!" Six women—three on each side—lined up on either side of Tetsu when he walked in into the establishment. From what Tetsu could gather from the rumors, this was the best place in town, and coming inside, no one was kidding about that fact.

The building was obviously older than most, but the vivid colors of reds, yellows, and blacks displayed a youthful appearance. There were orchids of various colors planted all throughout, vines delicately wrapped around the rails and banisters by the steps, and best of all, the powerful smell of foods. Tetsu was familiarized in these sort of settings, but he never felt too old to appreciate it nonetheless.

One of the women that greeted him approached him and took his coat while another reached for his hand and lead him to a nearby table. The rest of the women disbursed to resume their previous duties, attending to other 'Masters'.

"What meal would Master like today?" The woman who took his hand asked. She was a small thing with large brown eyes. Tetsu definitely appreciated them especially since they were surrounded by pale, white skin, skin that reminded him too much of someone else.

"What is a common local dish?"

"That would be our ramen dish with beef, Master."

"Then I would like that, please."

"With naruto or menma?"

"I'm sorry?"

"…Would you like fishcake or bamboo shoots added to your meal?"

"Ah, yes, please add the…naruto."

"Of course, Master."

The young woman left with a bow, leaving Tetsu to his own thoughts. He replayed their short conversation in his head and thought how strange the food sounded. Food of the Fire nation sounded much different from the various foods he's had in the past, and what the hell was ramen? He hadn't wanted to ask since that would have made her suspicious—women were very well known for gossiping, and if he were correct, incase those Konoha shinobi were looking for him, he needed to really lay low. It had been three days since his escape from the village and so far, he hadn't had any encounter of them. He changed his name, hid in populated places like this one to disguise his scent, and spoke to very few people to keep a low profile.

Unfortunately, he still wasn't too far from the village; he was currently in Shikashima*, a town very well known for their food festivals and beautiful women. Just reminding himself of the terrible trouble he was in just a short while ago sent ugly shivers coursing down his spine, however, they were short lived when Tetsu's brain envisioned the masked guy standing close by with his arms crossed. It almost made Tetsu slam his fist in frustration against the table, but instead, he settled for cursing under his breath. Why does he consistently think of that man?! Luckily his food arrived before his mind could find a concluding answer. Tetsu eyed the unique dish and was immediately hypnotized by the smell; it was strong but not suffocating. It was a fairly large bowl filled nearly to the brim with a dark soy sauced-based soup, two large halves of hard-boiled eggs pushed to the side, slices of beef lined up at the other half of the bowl, a softened sheet of seaweed dangling by the eggs, doused noodles perfectly piled in the center, and a single piece of parsley with an adorable white flake that had a pink swirl. _Is this a naruto?_

Tetsu paralyzed his sense of smell once more before diving in. This…there was just no describing how delectable this was. Never had he ever tasted something so divine in his life! There were so many characteristics to the meal than simply what he noted of the surface that it felt like it was an unjustified description. Much too quickly, Tetsu finished his meal and left the payment on the table (with a tip of course) for the little lady that had served him. Where did the money come from? It's better to just say that he was headed to the bathroom and 'roughly' bumped into a couple gentlemen and his hand just 'happened' to end up under their shirts where their wallets were located….

The day was almost over by the time Tetsu exited the restaurant. He wondered if it were wise to travel all through the night or just stay at an inn and then travel in the morning. Both options weren't that appealing but compared to being exhausted from walking, Tetsu thought it was just smarter to stay for the night at an inn. That was until he turned around and face planted into a brick-like exterior.

"God! What the fuck?!" Tetsu screeched as he clutched his nose.

"So…how was the meal?"

With one eye open, Tetsu looked up at who had spoken to him and instantly paled at the sight. _Fuck_. It was the man he had robbed of his wallet at the bathroom. He was a tall mother fucker with wild, long white hair that trailed all the way down to his back, he wore thick clothing—fitting for a shinobi—that honestly made him look chubbier than he was, but Tetsu was smart enough to notice the man's slim cheek bones, neck, arms, and legs to conclude that he wasn't actually chubby. The headband he wore aligned with the tops of his eye brows, which if anything, made the man look scarier than he really was. Tetsu realized that he still hadn't responded, so he felt it was wiser to just remain quiet and test whether he was about to die or not.

The man misread the silence and frowned, making him look much older and scarier. "Did you already spend all of it?"

"What? N-No, I swear, I only spent it on—" _What the hell was it called again?!_ "Ramen! Yeah, on some ramen!"

"Hmm, then can I have my wallet back?"

"Uh, sure…" Tetsu slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the man's wallet, chucking it into the awaiting hand that was sticking out.

The man verified that very little money was spent and smiled to show he was no longer angry. "You know, it's not right to steal, especially if it's just to buy some ramen."

"Shouldn't walk around with that much money" he mumbled.

The man wanted to reply but another voice interrupted their conversation. "Jiraiya, what are you doing?"

Both Tetsu and the man—now known as Jiraiya—turned to see a very pale man (ghostly pale!) with long black hair that also reached down his back, some simplistic beige clothing draped over black, and narrow eyes highlighted with some faint purple face paint. Given a wrong glance, anyone could easily confuse him for a beautiful woman. The new man's eyes unnerved Tetsu greatly; they didn't appear human.

"Orochimaru! See, I told you, this is the guy that stole mine and that other guy's wallet at the bathroom."

Orochimaru stepped closer to the duo and looked down at the young man crouched at the ground. His yellow eyes gave a long once over at the tan skin hidden underneath his light blue yukata, which didn't go unnoticed by either Jiraiya or Tetsu.

"I see, so what do you plan on doing with him?"

Jiraiya shrugged and extended his hand out to Tetsu to help him off the ground. "Sonovabitch already ate dinner! I say he should be forced to join us now."

"Wha—? What?!" Tetsu was shocked at the invitation and the gigantic grin plastered on the stranger's face. The pale one simply shook his head, as if this were a normal occurrence.

"This is Jiraiya's way of making a friend," Orochimaru explained. He sounded much too monotone for Tetsu to think he was in agreement to the whole thing.

"Better than yours! This guy just stares at people until they give in and have no choice." That little piece of information soothed Tetsu's uneasiness by a bit; so the guy just wanted to be his friend? _Fucking creepy way to do it_. "So? You joining us?"

"I-I can't…I…have to go."

"None sense, the least you could do is keep us company! What with stealing my money and all."

"I…suppose?" Tetsu was absolutely baffled.

"Great, now let's get going!"

Jiraiya lead the way and Orochimaru quickly followed suit; Tetsu thought about bolting but both men were eyeing him very carefully so that thought had to fly out the window. Reluctantly, Tetsu followed the men into another restaurant that was just as nice as the one he visited before. And like before, there were waitresses waiting on them hand and foot, calling them masters, and serving amazing delicacies. Although Tetsu's guard never lowered, he had to admit that he was enjoying himself, even if just a little. It was the very first time he surrounded himself with people and it wasn't for profit or gains or deals. He did find the older gentlemen attractive, but those thoughts didn't go beyond that. For that, he was personally glad.

"So, Tetsu you said your name was?" Jiraiya questioned with a mouth full of food. "Odd name."

"As if 'Jiraiya' is any better," Orochimaru chided. The joke earned him a glare.

"So Tetsu, where are you from?"

Tetsu avoided a frown from forming on his face. He couldn't give the same explanation that he had before so he resorted to his second best answer. "Some orphanage in the middle of nowhere. I've been a nomad since young."

"You must have visited a lot of places," Orochimaru said as he reached for his glass of wine. His eyes gleamed as he stared at Tetsu over the rim of his glass.

"Yeah…"

"Makes sense, now I know why you stole my wallet. I'mma tell you now, young man, living this lifestyle isn't the answer. You're a good young guy, you can find better ways to make money." Jiraiya nodded fiercely the whole time he gave his little speech, feeling proud of himself for sounding so mature.

He didn't seem to notice the faint blush that decorated Tetsu's cheeks, but Orochimaru did, which made a smile crack through his pale features. "Or maybe you already have…"

Both men stared at Tetsu but Tetsu didn't stare back. He kept his eyes on his plate, fiddling with some pieces of salad that oddly seemed interesting at the moment. "Whoa," Jiraiya breathed. "That's illegal in these parts—"

"I know," Tetsu snapped, suddenly providing an icy glare at the men. This was much too dangerous! He barely knew these men and yet they could already read him as easily as a book. He couldn't even deny anything they were that perceptive.

There was a horrible awkward silence that hung around the table as they continued feasting on their meals. Tetsu bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to taste a small pool of copper.

_Another means of escape_

ONLY if need be. We can't make the first move. A grumble resounded inside of Tetsu's head as a form of agreement to the plan. Not to say that it was the best one, but it was wiser than just flipping the table and attacking, not if he doesn't know what they are going to do next.

"I'll be back, I gotta use the restroom," Jiraiya said. Tetsu panicked for two reasons: one, he'd be left alone with Orochimaru and despite the man not having _done_ anything, Tetsu didn't want to be alone under his freaky-ass gaze, and two, the bathroom excuse could just be a lie for Jiraiya to send a message to the authorities now that they knew his secret.

Orochimaru noticed the young man's fearful expression and gave him a wide grin as a response. "Don't worry, he's not going to tattle. He's the last guy to do so; before he got married, he indulged in many illegal acts that could still get him imprisoned if anyone were to find out."

"O-Oh." Tetsu wasn't sure if he could just believe him.

"Out of curiosity," the man continued. "How much would you charge?"

Tetsu felt his stomach drop and his throat thickening. A small but noticeable headache began forming from what felt like the very center of his brain. This was nothing new to Tetsu—he was asked this question a lot in his career, plus he's involved himself with numerous characters that some, he could admit, should never have been allowed to reveal their face outside—but this man didn't sit all too well with him. The manner in which he looked at Tetsu, as if he were an actual meal he could eat, actually frightened Tetsu, and that was rare.

"I'm sorry, I can't say. That wouldn't be appropriate."

"Not even when I'm offering?"

"That…still wouldn't be appropriate. I can't sleep with you."

"That's a pity. Then just to appease me, what would have been your number had you accepted?"

Tetsu merely stared at the man, trying to get a read on him but nothing was conclusive. The beast, who earlier agreed that he was ready to attack if need be, suddenly was of no help and simply gruffed, murmuring that his paranoia and lack of answering would be deemed more suspicious than if he were to tell the truth. Tetsu didn't want to admit that he sounded kind of right. _Stupid fox…_

"When I was green, I asked for 375 ryō per hour but now it's 1,001 ryō* per hour."

Orochimaru's smile widened even more at Tetsu's answer but he couldn't completely enjoy the moment since Jiraiya had come back. "Whew, long line! What are you guys talking about?"

"The food. It's very good." Orochimaru never lost eye contact with Tetsu as he replied to Jiraiya. For some reason, Tetsu believed that Orochimaru wasn't talking about the food.

After another half hour, the men decided that they had enough food in their system to last them for days. Tetsu had now wondered how he could use this chance to leave and finally escape Orochimaru's gaze, but all the gods in the universe wanted to punish Tetsu for his sins; "Hey Tetsu, why don't you stay at the inn with us?"

"No, that's okay, really!" Tetsu desperately tried.

Jiraiya had a softened look to him accompanied by a small smile. Orochimaru wasn't too far away but Jiraiya spoke low enough to keep him out of ear shot. "Look, I don't know you, so I know this all looks weird, but…I want you to accept. You look like a nice kid, a good kid, and I want to offer you a warm bed. At least just once." But Jiraiya heard how odd that sounded and blushed like a teenage boy. "No! That's not how I meant it!"

Even Tetsu couldn't resist and chuckled at the humorous old man. "I know what you meant, but I still can't accept. Somehow you were kind enough to treat me to dinner, and I thank you, but I don't want any more of your kindness. This sounds cliché, but I don't want nor need your pity."

Jiraiya's eye brows furrowed as he considered Tetsu's words. The last thing he wanted to be was offensive but he still wanted to lend a helping hand. Something about this kid pulled at him in a way that felt new and exciting, yet familiar. "As cliché as it sounds, I'm not pitying you. I just want…to help. Please? Just one night. We're leaving in the morning anyway after breakfast. You're more than welcome to leave without even saying good bye."

The old man sounded cute trying to beg for something so miniscule. Tetsu was still unsure about the other guy, but if he obliged, then he could just sneak out and never see either party ever again, plus, he'd get a place to stay for the night. "Al…right, but I'll pay for my room. I still have the other guy's wallet."

At this, Jiraiya laughed heartedly, even though he felt a little bad for the victim that was now broke. All three men headed to an inn and just like Tetsu promised, he paid for his own room that was located a floor below the other two; it was easier for when he'd have to leave to just race out the door and never worry again. Tetsu didn't mention his room number or say anything other than good night and thank you before going the long way and eventually reaching his room. He quickly locked the door, pulled the curtains, shed his clothes, and jumped into the bath* to wash all of the days' worth of grime that built up since his escape. The boiling hot water almost burned his skin, but he paid it no heed since he enjoyed it anyway. The shower was quick itself and Tetsu would have wanted to enjoy the luxury of it more but he didn't feel completely at ease to do so. He grabbed the nearest towel and rubbed himself completely dry.

_Leaving now is probably the best option._ Tetsu just had to get dressed, but he suddenly felt so tired and he desperately wanted to use that bed in the other room to sleep. But shit was much too risky and he spent too much time here enough as it is! The internal argument sparked another little headache so Tetsu took a deep breath and dressed himself to get ready to leave. Upon opening the door, Tetsu realized that he closed everything but left the room completely black, making it impossible to see.

"Stupid lamp, can't see," he muttered under his breath. Using his instincts and common sense to find where everything was, Tetsu walked across the room to find some lighting, but before he could do so, the room was dimly illuminated by a lantern.

There, sitting on the bed he so greatly wanted to sleep in with a smirk that terrified the ever-living shit out of him, was Orochimaru.

~*NUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNUNU*~

**OMG, this chapter was so much fun to write!**

**Anyway, *Shikashima: I didn't want to use a real town from the Naruto-verse, so I made this town up**

***** **Ryō: Before the yen, Japan had the ryō system (gold coins) and compared to the $US, every 0.75 ryō equaled 1 US dollar.**

**So 375 ryō = $500 and 1,001.25 ryō = $1335 (I just didn't want to add the change)**

**As for Killua17, thank you so much for your loyalty and reviews, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well since it has a lot of 'Tetsu' in it =]**

**Thanks everyone and enjoy. Please Review, greatly appreciate it!**


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